Plague is an infectious zoonotic disease driven by the Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis, which establishes persistent ecological cycles among small mammals and their associated fleas [2][3]. The pathogen maintains environmental reservoirs through contaminated soils and susceptible animal populations, creating stable natural foci that periodically facilitate cross-species transmission to human communities [3].
Disease overview
BacterialPlague
鼠疫
Evidence-backed informationEN 5/7 applicable sections · ZH 5/7 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Plague is a severe zoonotic bacterial infection caused by Yersinia pestis, historically responsible for devastating pandemics such as the fourteenth-century Black Death [1][2]. The disease manifests primarily in bubonic, pneumonic, and septicaemic forms, carrying exceptionally high mortality rates if left untreated, though modern antimicrobial therapy enables effective clinical management [1][3]. Contemporary human cases remain geographically restricted to specific endemic foci across Africa, Asia, and South America, reflecting a shift from global pandemics to localized zoonotic spillovers [2][3].
Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile6
Following a one- to seven-day incubation period, infected individuals typically present with an acute febrile syndrome characterized by sudden fever, chills, systemic myalgias, profound weakness, vomiting, and nausea [1][2]. Clinical progression commonly yields bubonic plague, marked by rapidly enlarging, painful lymph nodes that may suppurate, or evolves into pneumonic and septicaemic variants involving respiratory compromise and hematogenous dissemination [2][3]. Untreated pneumonic and septicaemic presentations carry case-fatality ratios between 30% and 100%, underscoring the critical importance of early symptom recognition [1][2].
Human plague occurrence is strictly tied to regions where competent animal reservoirs and vector populations overlap with human habitation, with current burdens heavily concentrated in parts of Africa, Asia, and South America [1][2]. Since the 1990s, the majority of documented infections have originated in African nations, notably the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, and Peru, where seasonal epidemic waves frequently align with specific climatic and ecological conditions [1][2]. While historical pandemics once caused catastrophic mortality across multiple continents, contemporary disease distribution reflects fragmented zoonotic hotspots rather than sustained human-to-human transmission chains [2][3].
Primary human infection typically results from the bite of infected fleas carrying Y. pestis, which deposits the pathogen into the dermis and facilitates lymphatic replication [4][2]. Secondary exposure pathways include direct contact with infected animal tissues or bodily fluids, while inhalation of respiratory droplets from individuals or mammals suffering from pneumonic plague enables efficient airborne spread [2][3]. Rare instances of gastrointestinal and pharyngeal plague have been linked to the consumption of contaminated raw meat, highlighting additional dietary exposure routes [3].
Primary prevention of plague relies fundamentally on the active surveillance of established endemic foci and systematic ectoparasite control . Comprehensive management requires investigating regional animal reservoirs and flea species to develop environmental programmes that clarify the natural zoonotic cycle and restrict pathogen dissemination [1]. Long-term reduction in human incidence is driven by continuous monitoring of animal populations coupled with rapid interventions during wildlife outbreaks [1]. Additionally, effective containment demands a well-informed healthcare workforce and public vigilance to facilitate rapid diagnosis, administer early antibiotic treatments, enforce isolation measures, and mitigate transmission risks through targeted vector and host control [1].
- 1World Health Organization. Plague [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague
- 2World Health Organization. Plague [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/plague
- 3Barbieri R et al. Yersinia pestis: the Natural History of Plague. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2020 Dec 16. PMID: 33298527. doi: 10.1128/CMR.00044-19.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33298527/
- 4World Health Organization. Plague [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/plague
- A20
- 1B90
Coverage
Reporting countries and regions
AustriaAT
BelgiumBE
BrazilBR
BulgariaBG
CanadaCA
ChinaCN
CroatiaHR
CyprusCY
CzechiaCZ
DenmarkDK
EstoniaEE
FinlandFI
FranceFR
GermanyDE
GreeceGR
Hong Kong, ChinaHK
HungaryHU
IcelandIS
IrelandIE
ItalyIT
JapanJP
LatviaLV
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LithuaniaLT
LuxembourgLU
MaltaMT
NetherlandsNL
NorwayNO
PolandPL
PortugalPT
RomaniaRO
SingaporeSG
SlovakiaSK
SloveniaSI
South KoreaKR
SpainES
SwedenSE
United KingdomGB
United StatesUS
Trends by reporting country
Monthly patterns over time
Research Radar
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Epidemics
Showing 5 of 11 related publications.
Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.
Data access
Page dataset index with source links and update metadata.
Official sourcesAuthority, cadence, notes68
Austria AGES Radar for Infectious Diseases
Austria
AGES Radar monthly national source. Internal ingestion retains native categories; public release is disabled pending licence review.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Belgium Annual Baseline
Belgium
Belgium annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Bulgaria Annual Baseline
Bulgaria
Bulgaria annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Brazil DATASUS SINAN
Brazil
Brazil Ministry of Health DATASUS/SINAN public DBC microdata aggregated to national monthly notification counts.
Canada PHAC CNDSS Annual
Canada
Canada is the national jurisdiction; subdivision feeds are registered separately.
China CDC Weekly
China
Monthly notifiable infectious disease reports published by China CDC.
National Disease Control and Prevention Administration
China
Official China public health bulletin and query portal.
PubMed
China
Biomedical literature discovery feed used as supplementary context.
Public Health Science Data Center
Anhui, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Anhui, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Chongqing, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Chongqing, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Guangdong, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Guangdong, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Gansu, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Gansu, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Henan, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Henan, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Jiangsu, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Jiangsu, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Sichuan, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Sichuan, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Shandong, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Shandong, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Shanghai, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Shanghai, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Xinjiang, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Xinjiang, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Zhejiang, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Zhejiang, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Cyprus Annual Baseline
Cyprus
Cyprus annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Czechia Annual Baseline
Czechia
Czechia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Germany RKI SurvStat 2.0
Germany
RKI SurvStat national weekly notification export; raw ZIP exports are retained and recent weeks are overwritten for revisions.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Denmark Annual Baseline
Denmark
Denmark annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Estonia Annual Baseline
Estonia
Estonia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Spain Annual Baseline
Spain
Spain annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Finland THL Infectious Diseases Register
Finland
Finland THL Infectious Diseases Register national monthly case counts. The current month is ingested as provisional and the latest three months are refreshed for source revisions.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — France Annual Baseline
France
France annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — United Kingdom Annual Baseline
United Kingdom
United Kingdom annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Greece Annual Baseline
Greece
Greece annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Hong Kong, China CHP Notifiable Diseases
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China CHP annual notifiable infectious disease CSVs normalized to national monthly totals
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Croatia Annual Baseline
Croatia
Croatia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Hungary Annual Baseline
Hungary
Hungary annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Ireland HPSC Notifiable Diseases Hub
Ireland
Ireland HPSC national weekly notifiable-disease totals from the official ArcGIS FeatureServer. Internal ingestion is enabled; public release remains disabled pending written redistribution permission.
Iceland Directorate of Health Annual Dashboard
Iceland
National annual case notifications by disease. Published values can be revised retrospectively and remain annual period totals.
Iceland Directorate of Health STI Dashboard
Iceland
Monthly STI diagnosis facts from laboratory and registry surveillance; the official dashboard is published on a quarterly schedule.
Iceland Directorate of Health Respiratory Dashboard
Iceland
ISO-week respiratory diagnosis counts. Hospitalizations, samples, and vaccination indicators are separate measures and are not counted as diagnoses.
Iceland Directorate of Health Historical Registry
Iceland
Historical official registry tables for 1997–2021, with annual totals and disease-specific monthly notification facts retained at source grain.
Iceland Directorate of Health Legacy ICD Monthly
Iceland
Historical Saga EHR ICD encounter counts for 1997–2020. This clinical measure is non-comparable with registry notifications and is kept separate.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Italy Annual Baseline
Italy
Italy annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
JP NIID Weekly
Japan
Japan weekly infectious disease surveillance via NIID/JIHS.
Korea KDCA EID
South Korea
Korea KDCA notifiable infectious disease OpenAPI or portal/KOSIS downloads aggregated to national monthly notification counts.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Liechtenstein Annual Baseline
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Lithuania Annual Baseline
Lithuania
Lithuania annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Luxembourg Annual Baseline
Luxembourg
Luxembourg annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Latvia Annual Baseline
Latvia
Latvia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Malta Annual Baseline
Malta
Malta annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Netherlands Annual Baseline
Netherlands
Netherlands annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Norway FHI MSIS Statistics Bank
Norway
Norway FHI MSIS national monthly notifications from the official Allvis frontend API; adapter contract checks guard the unversioned endpoint.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Poland Annual Baseline
Poland
Poland annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Portugal Annual Baseline
Portugal
Portugal annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Romania Annual Baseline
Romania
Romania annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Sweden Public Health Agency SmiNet
Sweden
Sweden SmiNet national monthly reported cases from the official Public Health Agency statistics pages; public release is enabled with closed-month publication and revisable recent-month refreshes.
Singapore CDA Weekly Infectious Diseases Bulletin
Singapore
Singapore national weekly case notifications, combining the official data.gov.sg 2012–2022 CSV history with CDA annual workbooks from 2023 onward; 2023 weekly PDFs are retained as a source fallback.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Slovenia Annual Baseline
Slovenia
Slovenia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Slovakia Annual Baseline
Slovakia
Slovakia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
US CDC NNDSS
United States
CDC National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System provisional data.
US CDC NHSS HIV
United States
CDC NNDSS weekly data plus NHSS annual national HIV diagnoses