Plague never disappeared—here's why it still exists

The plague never disappeared and remains a rare but present bacterial infection, with recent alarm sparked by a Siberian researcher's death that Russian authorities say showed no evidence of the disease. It killed millions historically but is now treatable with antibiotics. Between 2019 and 2025, most human cases occurred in Africa, especially Congo and Madagascar, with 1,000 to 2,000 cases diagnosed globally each year and about seven annually in the US. The bacterium Yersinia pestis spreads via fleas from rodents, causing bubonic, pneumonic, or septicemic forms, which can be fatal if untreated. Early antibiotic treatment cures plague, though a vaccine exists only for high-risk groups and is unavailable in the US. Experts note the disease persists in wild animal populations, making eradication impossible, but person-to-person spread is limited and unlikely to cause widespread outbreaks.