The Black Death, also known as the Plague, was a terrible disease that first struck Asia in 1346 and then began to spread across the whole of Europe, the Black Death was a disease that was caused by fleas on rats. There was two types of Plague, Bubonic and Pneumonic. Bubonic plague was carried by rat fleas, which could be passed onto human and other animal fleas. if a person was bitten by a rat flea the symptons would be:
- cold, tingling feeling, tiredness
- swellings( called buboes), mainly in the groin or armpit
- swellings go black, blisters or black blotches appear all over.
This illness lasts for at least 5-10 days and most people die. The plague had outbreaks in the winter but from 1346 to 1349 the plague didn't stop. Also the Bubonic plague could turn into the Pnemumonic plague.
The other type of plague was called the Pneumonic plague which could pass from person to person very easily. The symptoms of the Pneumonic plague were:
- Chest pains.
- difficulty breathing
- coughing up blood and pus.
This disease normally killed people within two or three days.
