Clearing up some myths about the Black Death. Bacterium analysis of preserved ship’s rats.

Black Death - a classic illustration

For many years, as long as I can remember, there have been numerous articles online about the Black Death and how it was spread in mediaeval Europe. There have been myths and inaccuracies and I for one have been responsible for some inaccuracies. However, it seems that gradually we are better understanding one of …

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Mail Online’s clickbait title about domestic cat zoonoses is irresponsible

Mail Online clickbait article gets it wrong on zoonoses affecting domestic cats

I like the Mail Online because they do have some good cat articles to encourage me to write but this one from the deputy health editor in America, Alexa Lardieri, is irresponsible and should not have been written. The title states that pet cats are a ‘major harborer of deadly diseases’ and that cats …

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“Oregon is rocked by first human case of bubonic plague in nearly a decade after being infected by their pet cat”

Bubonic plague case in Oregon 2024

NEWS AND VIEWS: The Mail Online has a sensationalist headline as per my headline in which they add that “officials rushed to contain virus”. Rare and normally hard to spread It sounds as if Oregan is about to be swamped by a bubonic plague epidemic but it’s not. Bubonic plague is very rare in …

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