Pulmonary plague: human symptoms

One of the most dangerous diseases that claimed thousands of lives over several hundred years is the plague.

Unfortunately, this infection exists now, and from time to time its outbreaks occur in different countries of the world. At the same time, a large number of people die. Especially dangerous is the pulmonary form of the disease, as it is extremely contagious.

Plague infection methods

This disease is considered very formidable, as it often leads to blood poisoning and death. It has been known since ancient times. Previously, the disease terrified people. They did not know what provoked her and how to cope with the terrible epidemics that devastated entire cities.

The causative agent of infection is the plague stick. Science knows several varieties of this microorganism. Plague sticks can be transmitted by animals (hares, cats, camels, ground squirrels, rats).

Bloodsucker insects (mainly fleas) are also carriers. As a rule, animals die almost immediately after infection, or their disease passes in a latent form. Rodents (ground squirrels, woodchucks, jerboas) usually suffer this form of the disease during hibernation. Plague bacillus is a fairly stable microorganism. It can remain in the patient's secretions (mucus, blood) and even in corpses for several months. There are four forms of the disease that this microorganism causes. These are such varieties as:

1. Bubonic form.
2. Septic plague.
3. Skin form.
4. Pneumonic plague.

The latter form is extremely severe. Mortality rates for this type of infection are very high.

Types of Pulmonary Plague

There are two varieties of this infection:

1. Primary pulmonary plague. This form is characterized by a short latent period - from one day to three days. The disease develops very quickly and is manifested by pronounced symptoms. In the absence of adequate therapy, a person dies two to three days after infection.
2. Secondary form. It occurs as a complication with another type of plague. It develops gradually, at the beginning of the disease the symptoms are not pronounced.

Both species are characterized by similar symptoms and are considered highly contagious. This is because pulmonary plague is transmitted from person to person.

Methods of infection

There are several ways to transmit the disease. These include the following:

1. Airborne (when interacting with an infected person). Patients pose a threat to other people, since during the period of the most intense manifestation of symptoms, they can transmit microorganisms to people through breathing, coughing and sneezing.
2. The penetration of the plague pathogen into the lungs.
   
   You can get infected through the patient’s personal belongings, such as cigarettes or dishes. Fortunately, this route of infection is not common.
3. Other methods of infection. Pulmonary plague in humans can occur if pathogens enter the body through the connective membrane of the eyes. This route of infection is also rare.

Secondary pulmonary plague occurs when microorganisms enter the respiratory system through blood or lymphatic fluid.

Stages of the disease

The primary pulmonary form of the plague proceeds in three stages:

1. Latent stage. This is a short period (from several hours to several days) from the very moment of infection to the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease. At this stage, microorganisms multiply actively.
2. First step. This is the period of occurrence of common signs of the disease. Specific signs of pulmonary plague, such as coughing and inflammation, also appear.
3. Second phase. This stage is characterized by the occurrence of pathological processes in the lungs and serious respiratory disorders. The patient in this period is extremely contagious.

Pulmonary plague is considered the most dangerous type of infection, since even with treatment, five to fifteen percent of patients die. The presence or absence of timely and effective treatment largely determines whether the patient has a chance to survive or not.

Signs of illness

So how does pulmonary plague manifest itself? Symptoms in a person first arise common, characteristic of all forms of this infection. On the first day of the disease, the temperature rises sharply (up to 40 degrees and above). Pain appears in the muscles, back and head, lethargy, nausea and vomiting (sometimes with an admixture of blood). Then the patient begins to cough, he feels a lack of air, it is difficult for him to take a breath.

In pneumonic plague, symptoms are found such as respiratory failure (it becomes too frequent) and mucus discharge. First, the patient’s cough is accompanied by expectoration of light, almost transparent sputum. Sometimes the secretions contain pus. Then blood and foam appear in the sputum, a lot of it leaves. Usually, on the second day of illness, the patient’s condition worsens sharply, and some die during this period due to serious dysfunctions of the heart and respiratory organs or as a result of the development of a shock condition.

Diagnosis of the disease

Identifying an infection like pulmonary plague is quite difficult. This is due to the lack of signs inherent only to this disease. For example, symptoms such as severe cough and separation of blood sputum are characteristic of tuberculosis, and it is difficult for doctors to distinguish between these types of pathologies. Also, the infection develops very quickly, and this makes the diagnosis difficult. If there is an outbreak of the disease in any area, doctors carefully examine people with symptoms such as coughing and separation of bloody sputum. In such cases, patients with similar pathological phenomena are hospitalized and placed in separate wards. Doctors carefully monitor them and monitor their condition. In order to detect the presence of the plague pathogen in the body, a special blood test is performed.

Drugs are also administered under the skin, the patient’s response to them is evaluated, and they decide whether or not to vaccinate. In some cases, a person needs to be revaccinated. If necessary, doctors conduct laboratory tests not only of blood, but also of other biological material (urine, feces, vomit, sputum).

Therapy

Since pulmonary plague is a disease characterized by rapid development, doctors begin treatment before the diagnosis is completed. Since this type of infection is highly contagious, the patient is placed in a separate ward. Therapy includes antibiotics, measures to cleanse the body of toxins and the introduction of special serum.

For violations of the functions of the respiratory system and heart muscle, doctors conduct specific treatment. Additional therapy is also required in case of a threat of shock. Usually, in the absence of temperature and pathogens in the blood of the patient, they are discharged from the hospital after six weeks of treatment. However, a person who has had pneumonic plague should be under medical supervision for three months.

Preventive actions

Actions to prevent this dangerous disease include the following:

1. Assessment of the state of wild animals, establishment of restrictions on hunting for them during outbreaks of the disease.
2. Timely notification of people about epidemics and ways of infection.
3. Vaccination of persons at increased risk of infection (hunters, biologists, geologists, archaeologists).
4. When a person develops signs of a disease such as pulmonary plague, treatment and isolation should occur as soon as possible. Relatives and acquaintances of the patient are prescribed prophylactic antibiotics. They should also be in the hospital under the supervision of doctors for six days.
5. All things of the patient should be treated with a special disinfecting solution.
6. In the territory where the epidemic was registered, it is necessary to carry out measures to destroy rats. They also exterminate sick animals living in the wild (hares, ground squirrels, groundhogs, and so on). In the territory where an outbreak is detected, quarantine is established.

Since pulmonary plague is highly contagious, care must be taken to ensure that the infection does not spread.