// BEGIN editorial data
 var i = 0;
var BubonicPlague_Bcol = new Array();
BubonicPlague_Bcol.sName = "BubonicPlague_Bcol";
BubonicPlague_Bcol.ID = "BubonicPlague_Bcol";
BubonicPlague_Bcol.sPubDate = "12/9/2003 12:12:00 AM GMT";
BubonicPlague_Bcol.mainsectionID = "HEALTH"
BubonicPlague_Bcol.navsectionID = "HEALTH"
BubonicPlague_Bcol.appFmt = 2;
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BubonicPlague_Bcol.appWidth = 460;
BubonicPlague_Bcol.appHeader = "Q & A|Bubonic plague";
BubonicPlague_Bcol.appFooter = "Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention";
BubonicPlague_Bcol.appNavStyle = 3;
BubonicPlague_Bcol.appLayout = 3;
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BubonicPlague_Bcol[i++] = new Array("","","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
BubonicPlague_Bcol[i-1].body = "Bubonic plague is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis. While easily treated today with antibiotics, outbreaks of the disease killed millions of people during the Middle Ages and incited mass panic throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.";

BubonicPlague_Bcol[i++] = new Array("","How is it contracted?","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
BubonicPlague_Bcol[i-1].body = "People usually get plague after being bitten by a flea that has fed off of an infected rodent, such as a rat, chipmunk, squirrel or mouse. In addition, a person with plague pneumonia can transmit the disease to others through coughing. Plague has also been developed by some countries as a biowarfare agent. ";

BubonicPlague_Bcol[i++] = new Array("","How common is it?","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
BubonicPlague_Bcol[i-1].body = "Each year there are about 10 to 20 cases of bubonic plague in the United States and 1,000 to 3,000 globally. Plague is most common in the southwestern states, especially New Mexico and Arizona. Outbreaks occur more often in rural areas and in homes where rodents are found. ";

BubonicPlague_Bcol[i++] = new Array("","What are the symptoms?","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
BubonicPlague_Bcol[i-1].body = "Symptoms usually appear within 2 to 6 days after infection when the bacteria invade the bloodstream. They include swollen lymph glands, fever, chills, extreme exhaustion, coughing and expelling of bloody sputum. ";

BubonicPlague_Bcol[i++] = new Array("","How is it treated?","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
BubonicPlague_Bcol[i-1].body = "A patient diagnosed with plague should be treated as soon as possible with antibiotics, ideally streptomycin. Persons who have been in close contact with the infected person should also be evaluated. About 14 percent of all plague cases in the United States are fatal, usually because the infected person did not receive timely treatment. <br>";

	// END editorial data