One type of plague is bubonic plague. In this form, people incubated the diseases for about 6 days before becoming very feverish and then developing huge swollen buboes in their neck, armpits and groin. The swellings were caused as the lymph glands of the body became infected. The skin over the buboes also turned a purplish black.
About 60% of people who got bubonic plague died, leaving around 40% to live on. Once bubonic plague had been survived, the survivor was generally immune and unaffected by later outbreaks.
The two other types of plague were even more deadly. Pneumonic plague affected the lungs and started to cause symptoms ~ coughing and sneezing blood ~ very rapidly. Some people got ill within 12 hours of infection and about 95% of them died. This type of plague spread very quickly in overcrowded conditions, as sufferers coughed the bacteria over everyone else.
Septicaemic plague had a mortality very close to 100%. Once a person had live bacteria in their bloodstream, they died within hours, sometimes within minutes.
About 60% of people who got bubonic plague died, leaving around 40% to live on. Once bubonic plague had been survived, the survivor was generally immune and unaffected by later outbreaks.
The two other types of plague were even more deadly. Pneumonic plague affected the lungs and started to cause symptoms ~ coughing and sneezing blood ~ very rapidly. Some people got ill within 12 hours of infection and about 95% of them died. This type of plague spread very quickly in overcrowded conditions, as sufferers coughed the bacteria over everyone else.
Septicaemic plague had a mortality very close to 100%. Once a person had live bacteria in their bloodstream, they died within hours, sometimes within minutes.
