Human case of bubonic plague in UK identified as ‘false alarm'

UK, which erroneously reported a human case of the bubonic plague recently. Known for having caused the «Black Death», plague was responsible for the death of over 50 million people across Europe in the fourteenth century. To put the infection's mortality into perspective, the pandemic wiped out nearly half of the continent's population.

Bubonic plague back in UK? Here's what officials said

The recently reported human bubonic plague case in the UK originated from a lab report released by the country's Health Security Agency (HSA) for the week ending March 13, as per The Sun. The outlet noted on Wednesday (March 26) that HSA officials later said that the report was incorrect. The authorities reportedly blamed a lab misallocation for the goof-up. Efforts are underway to rectify the data, The Sun reported.

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Bubonic Plague: What is it?

Plague is an infection caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria. The zoonotic microorganism is typically found in small mammals and their fleas. Besides bubonic, there are two other main clinical forms of the infection — septicemic and pneumonic. Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague. This specific type is characterized by painful, swollen lymph nodes or 'buboes'.

How does plague spread?

The pathways of transmission of plague from animals to humans include getting bitten by infected fleas, coming in direct contact with infected tissues, and inhaling infected respiratory droplets. If a bubonic plague patient doesn't receive swift antibiotic treatment, they risk developing the far-more deadly septicemic or pneumonic forms of the infection.

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«The pneumonic form