Romanian College of Physicians: The plague can be treated effectively if diagnosed and treated in time

Plague, also known as the Black Death, can be effectively treated with antibiotics if diagnosed and treated in time, the Infectious Diseases Commission of the Romanian College of Physicians (CMR) said Wednesday. The disease has not disappeared and remains endemic in several regions of the world.

According to the commission’s chair, Simin Aysel Florescu, delays in treatment significantly increase the risk of death. World Health Organization data show that mortality in untreated bubonic plague is approximately 30–60%, while the pneumonic and septicemic forms can be almost invariably fatal without rapid medical intervention.

Between 2019 and 2025, most cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar. Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and is most commonly transmitted through the bite of an infected flea, from rodents to humans. The pneumonic form can also be transmitted between people through respiratory droplets.

The disease has three main forms: bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic. The CMR recommends that health information be verified using credible medical sources.