Science Friday Why Is Bubonic Plague Still With Us?
Dec 9, 2025
Viveka Vadyvaloo, a plague researcher and director of the Allen School for Global Health, discusses the surprising persistence of bubonic plague today. She explains how Yersinia pestis established itself in rodent populations worldwide and how humans can become incidental hosts through flea bites. Vadyvaloo highlights the contrasts in treatment accessibility, with wealthier regions benefiting from antibiotics while poorer areas face greater burdens. She also emphasizes the importance of understanding flea biology and potential management strategies in light of climate factors influencing outbreaks.
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Plague Lives In Wild Rodent Reservoirs
- Yersinia pestis established itself in wild rodent reservoirs worldwide after 1800s human pandemics and shipping spread infected rats and fleas.
- Humans are incidental hosts who get infected when infected fleas switch from dead rodents to people.
Historic Shipping Seeded U.S. Plague
- Viveka recounts ships from Asia bringing rats and infected fleas to U.S. ports, including an outbreak in San Francisco that seeded local rodent infections.
- That historical shipping example explains how plague became established in U.S. wild rodents.
Geography And Hotspots Of Ongoing Plague
- Plague is endemic across most continents except probably Australia and appears in known hotspots like parts of Africa, China, Mongolia, and South America.
- Surveillance detects outbreaks often via rodent die-offs such as prairie dogs in the U.S.