(Express) – The Black death has broken out in Africa along the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Several people have been killed and dozens of others have been exposed to the virus. The Black death – otherwise known as the bubonic plague – once scourged Europe during the 14th century. Some 30 to 60 percent of the World’s population is thought to have been killed by the vicious disease, which may have been transferred from China by fleas clinging to black rats.

The widespread nature of the disease means most people have been protected by ancient immunity, but new strains still arise sometimes in African countries. Here, little access to antibiotics and comprehensive healthcare has meant the disease is still responsible for deaths. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), several people have died from an outbreak of pneumonic plague – a strain of the ancient disease. READ MORE


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