Plague is not a contagious disease and does not spread from person to person. Plague can only spread when humans are bitten by fleas who have fed on infected rodents or if a person with an injured skin region comes in contact with an infected animal's blood.

Plague is defined as a bacterial infection caused by Yersinia pestis and affecting humans and other mammals. The organism lives in rodents that are bitten by fleas. Humans and mammals get the disease through infected flea bites to produce symptoms in them.

Antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin, gentamycin and doxycycline, have proven very effective in managing plague.

There is no vaccine available for plague as yet, but scientists are in the process of developing one.

As with all antibiotics, there are side-effects of drugs for plague, such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, weight and weakness.