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Plague Information And Facts Essay

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It is often thought that the course of history relies on wars and competing ideas. The powerful individuals of Presidents, Monarchs, and Dictators whose actions and decisions can shift a society's development in one way or another. Some are nasty, ruthless, deadly - and microscopic. Diseases have altered history. Smallpox Information and Facts, as well as Plague Information and Facts, are both reference materials authored and published by National Geographic. Formed in 1888, National Geographic, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. The articles describe the diseases causes and symptoms, its early victims and infamy, the variations, vaccinations and the fear of the future. The Smallpox epidemics …show more content…

The four variations of Smallpox are Variola Major, Variola Minor, Hemorrhagic, and Malignant. Variola Major was the most common form of the disease and the most lethal. Variola Minor caused a milder version of the the disease and is fatal in less than one percent of cases. The other two, Hemorrhagic and Malignant, invariably results in death. The Plague has three specific types, Bubonic, Septicemic, and Pneumonic. Bubonic plague is the diseases most common form, and refers to the painfully swollen lymph nodes that appear around the groin, armpit, or neck. The Septicemic plague is contacted through fleas, or contact with plague infected body matter, and spreads in the bloodstream. The most infections types is the Pneumonic plague. The Pneumonic plague is an advanced stage of the bubonic plague, and is airborne and spreads directly, person to person. The bacteria that is the source of the plague is called Yersinia pestis, and is a mutant variety or closely related bacteria. Y. pestis is handicapped, unable to survive without a host and an inability to penetrate and hide in the host's cells. Both the Smallpox and the Plague are deadly without proper treatment and attack the victim's immune system. The plague has a mutated bacteria compared to the Smallpox

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