bubonic plague

Officials say the illness was likely contracted it from a pet cat. Plague isn’t common, but it also isn’t unheard of in the western US, where a handful of cases occur every year.

In this interview with author Rebecca Totora, we explore ways our response to the pandemic might have similarities to other plagues, and how writers like William Shakespeare responded.

Shifts in climate in the Middle Ages likely drove bubonic plague bacteria from gerbils in Asia to people in Europe, research now suggests. Rats don't deserve all the blame.