Both the reading and the lecture discusses about the Bubonic Plague, which is also

known as the Black Plague or Black Death. The reading and lecture disagrees on the
origin of the deadly plague.

First, The reading claims that the plague first appeared in China, whereas the
lecture mentioned that it may have started in Africa. Because China was a busy
trading nation, the plague would have been carried all over the world from its
ports. To counter thed evidence presented by the reading, the lecture mentions
research done by scientists, who found the existence of rats, which are known to
carry the plague, lived along the Nile river. A period of floods would drive the
rats that had plagued fleas into households, thus creating the outbreak.
Additionally, the scientists found that ancient Egyptians had survived a similar
plague before, thus providing even more evidence that the origin of the plague was
near or in Africa.

Finally, the reading mentions that the plague had disappeared in the 17th Century,
but the lecture mentions that there are still thousands of people contacting the
plague now. Around 500 to 2000 new cases of the plague happen in Madagascar each
year, which could further solidify the claim that the plague had started in Africa.