Middle Ages(The Plague)

- The Black Death or Bubonic Plage spread in Asia and was eventually transported
to Europe.The first outbreak swept across England between 1348 and 1349.
-The improved transportation mechanism and trade routes between countries
enabled the rats with infected fleas to spread rapidly between cities and villages
across vast distances.
-The Mongols contributed to the spread of this disease via their massive trade
routes .A mongolian leader ,Jani Beg launched the corpse of his infected soldiers
into enemy cities . This is a form of biological warfare.
-Cities are the perfect breeding ground for this disease because of the huge
population density and the unsanitary living conditions specially in medieval
European cities.
-Fleas residing in black rats were initially the carriers of the disease. The infection
was transmitted to humans through flea bites when they feed on human blood .
- Lacking medical and scientific knowledge, the population had no effective method
of curing or even controlling the spread of the diesease. They resided into
superstitious methods such as blood letting,induced vomiting,ointments and urine
consumption.
-With increasing infection rates,the plague bacteria mutated and was able to
spread through the air.
-The plague killed an average of 30-45% of the general populace in Europe.

Relation to Present
-Rapid and mass transportation enables diseases to spread faster and travel vast
distances.With modern transportation, diseases can be spread across the world in a
matter of days and weeks if no precaution or disease control protocol is taken.But
thanks to modern medicine and medical technology,humans have good chances of
surviving ang preventing diseases.
-Biological warfare is extremely hazardous to mankind (e.g Anthrax), this is why
treaties and agreements have been established between nations to stop the usage
of such weapons.