The Ebola Plague: The Black Death

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The recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa has caused a controversial panic all over the world. Heightened Ebola alert is no laughing matter because it is highly contagious, and no cure has been found to this day. Ebola is our generation's Black Plague(Black Death) because they have similar symptoms and are transmitted from person to person through bodily fluids creating a rise in Ebola cases around the world. Going back to the origin, The Black Plague goes back to 1300's when it eradicated about one-third of Europe's population. The bacterium that causes the disease is called Yersinia pestis, which is mainly found in rats. Though the Y pestis comes in three subtypes (bubonic, septicemic, or pneumonic plague) bubonic and pneumonic…show more content…
Ebola was first discovered in 1976 in the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This virus has four human infecting subtypes: Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Ivory Coast, and the Ebola-Bundibugyo, which are all found in Africa. Initial symptoms are similar to the flu symptoms such as fever, headaches, sore throat, joint and muscle soreness, and weakness. Towards the late stage of the disease, symptoms worsen to vomiting, diarrhea, redness in the eyes, swelling of the genitals, internal and external bleeding , and a bleeding rash over the entire…show more content…
Both disease's have flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, weakness, chills, and sore throat. In addition, Ebola and Black Plague, specifically Pneumonic Plague, can be contacted by human to human contact specifically through blood or bodily fluids seeping into broken skin. Once the Ebola virus transmits to humans, it takes two to twenty one days to show the flu-like symptoms. For the Black Plague, specifically the Bubonic and Septicemic plague, it takes about three to seven days to show flu like symptoms. For the Pneumonic plague, symptoms will automatically develop within one to three days after exposure to bacteria. With these virus' being highly contagious, most people won't realize they're exposed to the virus until symptoms show, already allowing them to spread it to

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