Black Death

     I just read the article 7-year-old Colorado Girl Survives Bubonic Plague by Ron Recinto. I really enjoyed this reading this particular article because I find and have always found reading about or studying the Black Death interesting. Then again, I was that odd child that always found the gruesome videos about half of the European population being wiped out by the bubonic plague fascinating.
     Sierra Downing "was admitted to the hospital with a fever of 107 degrees. She was delirious, having seizures and had a high heart rate." It turns out, the child had come into contact with a dead squirrel at the park. Apparently, a plague-infected flea then jumped from the dead critter onto the unsuspecting child and then proceeded to bite her. Thus, she was infected with the Black Death.
     The article then goes on to say that though the bubonic plague is still around, there will never be a huge outbreak of the disease in this country because we don't have the health problems that we used to have. Recinto also states that "people would be quickly confined if there were ever a large number of cases." I tend, however, to disagree with his opinions on this matter. I believe that in certain places in this country, we have every bit of the health problems that we used to have, maybe even more. For example, if the homeless people living in the sewers beneath the streets of New York come across a rat who then gives them plague-riddled fleas, whats to say that the Black Death wouldn't spread through the packed city faster than a wildfire? And how could we quickly confine the disease if the first people to get it are the ones that nobody notices if they die or have the symptoms of the plague? By the time we caught it, the damage would have already been done.
     I do agree that there will probably not be a huge outbreak of the plague in the future, though, because now that citizens know about the disease and what causes it, they take more precautions around disease-spreading pests. Nowadays, people can use bug repellents and treatments that kill certain disease-bearing pests. Because of this, I don't foresee a Black Death pandemic in our country's future. One thing I don't understand about the situation with Sierra is why was she not being watched and prevented from playing with dead squirrels? After all, precautions are generally taken in this country to avoid touching dead critters.
     Over all, this is a very good, interesting article. I think that Recinto was trying to tell a summarized story of the little girl who contracted the Black Death while simultaneously getting his opinions and voice across on the disease itself. Ultimately, I would say that he accomplished his goal, even though there were statements that I would not necessarily agree with in the article. Hearing about the plague and how it is still a very real threat in today's society really made me think about how I can prevent something like that, however unlikely it is, from happening to me. I am in situations every day where I am exposed to fleas and pests that could potentially be carrying deadly diseases. I do believe that now I am going to start making a more conscious effort to protect myself and start taking responsibility for my own safety.