Plague

Plague - acute natural focal infectious disease characterized by severe intoxication, fever, lymph nodes and lungs. It is especially dangerous infections.
Cause. The causative agent of plague - Yersinia pestis.
The source of infection - rodents (. marmots, gerbils, gophers, voles, etc.), lagomorphs (rabbits, pikas) and living on their fleas that transmit the causative agent of urban rodents - rats and mice. On the territory of the Russian Federation of natural foci of plague are in the Caspian region, the Volga-Ural region, the Caucasus, Baikal, Altai.
The "urban", "port" of the pathogen outbreaks sources are rats, mice, camels, dogs and cats.
Disease vectors - fleas. Leaving the corpse of rodent fleas, unable to find a new owner, move to humans and infect it. During flea bite regurgitation of stomach contents, in which the plague bacteria multiply. After scratching the bite wound or plague pathogens penetrate the skin.
Possible contact mechanism of transmission when removing the skins from diseased birds or cutting of carcasses of camels.
When the pneumonic form of plague transmission mechanism - airborne.
The susceptibility of people to the plague is extremely high.
The process of developing the disease. In the human body the plague pathogen penetrates through the skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract. Most Yersinia pestis from the skin by lymphatic reaches the nearest lymph nodes, causing in them and in the surrounding tissues expressed inflammation. As a result of the collapse of microbial toxins are released. Later vozbuitel enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body, causing damage of several organs.
Signs. The disease begins acutely or suddenly, with strong chills, a rapid rise in temperature to 39-40 ° C. The chill is replaced by heat. Since the early days noted severe headache, dizziness, severe weakness, insomnia, muscle pain, nausea and sometimes vomiting. In some patients, there is excitement, delirium, sometimes marked retardation. Face puffy, under-eye dark circles. The patient's condition serious.
There is a sharp pain in the lymph node. With 2-3-th day of illness, he begins to be palpable as a small first seal, then the size of lymph nodes grows, the process involved the skin and surrounding tissues to which it is soldered, is developing a significant swelling (bubo formed). Most bubo develops in the inguinal and femoral lymph nodes, at least in the armpit and neck areas.
When airborne infection disease begins abruptly with fever, severe headache, vomiting. After some time, there are cutting pains in the chest, shortness of breath. Cough or notes from the beginning or the end is joined days later. First, it is dry, then begins to separate sputum, sometimes in large quantities, can be marked admixture of blood.
Recognition of the disease. Diagnosis is suggested by sudden rapid onset of illness with high fever, the appearance of sharply painful swelling in the lymph nodes.
Urgent care. Emergency hospitalization.
Sick and persons associated with him, was placed in a specialized infectious hospitals.
With time begun treatment (within the first 15 h) a favorable prognosis.
Prevention of disease. Rodent; avoidance of overnight stays near rodent burrows; precautions in catching and cutting of carcasses of rodents, hares and pikas; vaccination of the population living in the natural focus of plague.