What happens if the black plague happened today?

Question

what happens if the black plague happened today?

Answer 1

Well, aside from the possibility that the exact same disease could happen again (nil I think)...

If a disease outbreak started killing people left and right, the CDC would come in and the government would quarantine the entire area (see movies such as Outbreak and 28 Days Later) in order to stop the spread of the disease and then go from there....

Answer 2

It is thought that the plague was caused by an organism called Yersinia pestis.  It is carried by the fleas on rodents and people still pick up this infection, usually in the western US.  However, it can easily be treated with antibiotics.

The plague in Europe that killed approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the population was an especially nasty form of the disease, because it was spread through the respiratory route, from person to person.  Once infected, a person could die within a couple of days.  People living in close quarters (such as in cities) were most vulnerable.  This form of plague has not been seen in several hundred years.

Your question is really a good one when you consider that the population of this planet is becoming extremely dense.  That means that a global pandemic will occur and will be caused by any one of many possible diseases, known or unknown at this time.  Just in the past 30 years or so, there have been at least 20-30 completely new diseases identified.  Examples are HIV and the hantavirus outbreak in the Four Corners area in the western US.  Also, many diseases, once thought to be eradicated, or nearly eradicated, are making comeback.  Examples are malaria and dengue fever.

Answer 3

The black plague was caused by an antibiotic that was spread by vermin.  Today we can just take antibiotics and be cured.

Answer 4

We ALL DIE!!!!!! ????

It was extremely lethal then because of the poor hygiene: people had fleas! Their houses were full of fleas and rats.

Knowing what we know about bacteria, and how diseases spread, it would be quickly quarantined and confined.