Sexually Transmitted Diseases
The Bubonic Plague And These 4 Other Diseases Surprisingly Still Exist Today
Medical diseases have existed since ancient times. We've read about the horrors of the bubonic plague in history lessons, but did you know that even the plague technically still exists today?
Over time, modern medicine has eradicated some of the most devastating diseases in the U.S., like smallpox, polio, rubella, malaria, and diphtheria. However, diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and the mumps do continue to exist. While it may surprise you that the following five diseases still exist today, we have come along way to treating them as well.
1. Leprosy
Mycobacterium leprae (Credit: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 225 Americans are diagnosed annually with leprosy, otherwise known as Hansen's Disease. Mycobacterium leprae causes the bacterial infection, leprosy, and primarily affects the nerves and skin. It causes skin discoloration, nodules, and burning, which can lead to disfigurement if not treated. Numbness can also occur, typically in the hands and feet.
At one time, people with leprosy were isolated in colonies — due to the fear that it was easily transmitted. But we have since learned that prolonged close contact with an infected person is required for the disease to spread. Another route of transmission is from armadillos to humans. Most people are immune to leprosy and there's an effective combination of antibiotic treatment for those who do contract it.
Read More: Leprosy Cases Are Rising in the U.S.
2. Tuberculosis
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Credit: nobeastsofierce/Shutterstock)
While TB dates back 9,000 years, the disease still kills over a million people each year across the world. In 2022, about 8,000 people in the U.S. Were diagnosed with tuberculosis — and another 13 million were classified as having latent tuberculosis.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes this disease, which has symptoms like a cough, chest pain, fever, and loss of appetite. TB is transmitted through the inhalation of droplets released from an infected person who coughs or talks.
There are two types of testing methods for TB, a skin test and a blood test. If someone is found to have an active case of TB, there is a treatment regimen of antibiotics. Typically, these are taken for months.
Read More: What Is the Drug Bedaquiline and Why Is It Important for Those With Tuberculosis?
3. The Mumps
Paramyxovirus (Credit: Corona Borealis Studio/Shutterstock)
A virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family causes the mumps. And although the disease still exists, cases have been reduced by 99 percent since the mumps vaccine program started in the late 1960s.
When someone is infected with mumps, it can take between two to three weeks until symptoms emerge — including a swollen, painful jaw, puffy cheeks, tiredness, weight loss, and fever. Mumps is spread through respiratory droplets or saliva. It can be transmitted through sneezing, talking, or coughing. It can also be spread by sharing utensils or drinking from the same cup as an infected person.
While there is no cure for mumps, treatment usually includes rest, fluids, and pain relief. Typically, symptoms usually subside in about 5 days.
Read More: 6 Respiratory Illnesses That Could Mean Trouble for Your Lungs
4. Whooping Cough
Bordetella pertussis (Credit: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock)
There are more than 10,000 cases of whooping cough each year in the U.S. A bacterial based disease, whooping cough is also called pertussis — named after the bacteria Bordetella pertussis – and affects the lungs and airway.
Symptoms most notably include a severe, intense cough that eventually causes people to inhale, which results in the "whooping" sound. Not everyone with whooping cough will develop the characteristic whooping sound. Other symptoms include runny nose, fever, and nasal congestion.
Treatment includes antibiotics and vaccines, but you can still catch whooping cough even if vaccinated. Usually when this happens, symptoms are usually milder.
Read More: Why Are Viruses More Active In The Winter?
5. Plague: The Black Death
(Credit: MichaelTaylor/Shutterstock)
The bacterium, Yersinia pestis, causes the plague and there are two forms called bubonic and pneumonic. The bubonic plague is the most common. The black plague killed about 25 million people in Europe during Middle Ages — and currently affects about five to 15 people each year in the U.S.
Symptoms include swollen lymph nodes in the groin, armpits, or neck; high fever; chills, and muscle cramps. The plague can spread through an infected flea that is connected to a pet or small wild animal.
When the plague is suspected, people are usually hospitalized and immediately treated with antibiotics. Sometimes they are isolated. Support measures include I.V. Liquids, oxygen, and breathing support. The plague is life threatening and considered a potential bioweapon.
Read More: Scientists Reveal the Black Death's Origin Story
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.Com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Allison Futterman is a Charlotte, N.C.-based writer whose science, history, and medical/health writing has appeared on a variety of platforms and in regional and national publications. These include Charlotte, People, Our State, and Philanthropy magazines, among others. She has a BA in communications and a MS in criminal justice.
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JD Vance Now Says Haitian Immigrants Are Spreading HIV After Bizarre Pet-eating Claim Flops
Haitian migrants at the mexico border seeking asylum wait in line for their long awaited CBP One app appointments
In the aftermath of Tuesday's presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, Trump's running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, made a series of controversial, bigoted, and inflammatory statements during an interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins. Vance doubled down on debunked claims about Haitian immigrants abducting pets to eat them and falsely linked the migrant community to rising rates of HIV and tuberculosis in Springfield, Ohio. His remarks have since drawn widespread condemnation for their harmful, fear-mongering nature.
During the interview, Vance insisted on the veracity of a discredited conspiracy theory circulating in Springfield that claims Haitian immigrants have been abducting pets for food, a laughable claim Trump made during the debate. Local officials have already said that "no credible evidence" supports these allegations, but Vance continued to push the narrative. "We've heard from a number of constituents on the ground… saying this stuff is happening," Vance said. When Collins pointed out that officials had found no evidence, Vance responded, "They've said they don't have all the evidence."
Collins pressed Vance on his responsibility as a public figure to avoid spreading misinformation. "If someone calls your office and says they saw Bigfoot, that doesn't mean they saw Bigfoot," Collins asked. Vance, however, stood firm, responding, "Nobody's calling my office and saying that they saw Bigfoot. What they're calling and saying is we are seeing migrants kidnap our dogs and cats."
Vance's continued insistence on pushing the discredited claims has drawn sharp criticism from immigration advocates, who accuse him of stoking racial fear and division.
Vance escalated his claims by linking the supposed arrival of Haitian immigrants to a rise in infectious diseases in Springfield, including HIV and tuberculosis. "Communicable diseases like HIV and TB have skyrocketed in this small Ohio town. This is what Kamala Harris' border policies have done," he said, without offering evidence to support his claims.
Vance's comments tap into a broader, troubling pattern of discrimination that Haitian migrants have faced for decades. Historically, U.S. Immigration policy has treated Haitians disproportionately, often in ways that are harsher than those directed toward other groups. According to a 2021 U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants report, Haitians have frequently been misclassified as economic immigrants rather than political refugees, even when fleeing violence during authoritarian regimes, stripping them of asylum rights and leading to mass deportations.
One of the most egregious examples of discrimination occurred in the early 1990s, when Haitians attempting to flee their country were subjected to HIV and AIDS screenings by U.S. Authorities. Even as the HIV epidemic was waning, Haitians who tested positive for the virus were held to higher standards when seeking asylum. Many were sent to quarantine camps in Guantanamo Bay, where they lived in squalor and were denied proper medical care, the report notes.
This history of associating Haitians with disease resurfaced during the Trump administration, when Title 42—a public health measure aimed at stopping the spread of communicable diseases—was invoked to justify the expulsion of Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Vance's claims that Haitian immigrants are responsible for a rise in HIV reinforce these historical stigmas, stoking xenophobia and racial fear. Public health experts have widely discredited the idea that immigrants are driving HIV transmission. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. Are living with HIV and that effective treatment can suppress the virus, making it undetectable and untransmittable.
While Vance's comments have drawn significant backlash, the broader issue of HIV stigma remains a pressing concern, as highlighted in GLAAD's 2024 State of HIV Stigma report. The report, conducted in partnership with Gilead Sciences, tracks progress in combating HIV stigma and emphasizes the importance of media representation in shaping public understanding of HIV.
It reveals both progress and persistent challenges in the fight against HIV stigma. While stigma has slightly decreased over the last five years, with fewer Americans believing it remains a significant issue, alarming gaps in knowledge still exist, particularly among Gen Z. Additionally, fewer Americans now believe that people living with HIV can lead long, healthy lives, with a sharp decline in understanding in regions like the U.S. South, highlighting the ongoing need for education and accurate media representation.
The GLAAD study found that Gen Z, the most diverse and out LGBTQ+ generation in history, continues to be the least knowledgeable about HIV. Only 37 percent of Gen Z adults said they felt knowledgeable about the virus.
Throughout the interview, Collins challenged Vance on his false statements. She pointed out that outlets such as The New York Times and PBS NewsHour had already covered the broader issues in Springfield, refuting Vance's claim that the media had ignored the migrant situation. Vance dismissed this, saying, "Nobody cared about this until we raised this issue… if we have to meme about it to get the media to care, we're going to keep on doing it."
Watch JD Vance's crazy post-debate interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins below.
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