Disturbing simulation shows what 'black death' plague does to your body as US citizen tests positive
A chilling simulation has revealed what happens if you contract the bubonic plague.
It was revealed this week that an individual tested positive for a variation of the plague in California, US, just a month after a person in Arizona died from pneumonic plague.
Officials stated that the South Tahoe resident is receiving medical care at home after being bitten by an infected flea while camping in the South Lake Tahoe area.
The area is currently being investigated as residents have been told to stay vigilant.
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The California Department of Health confirmed the case, though no other information about the person or their current status was shared.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are seven cases of the plague in the US annually, which primarily occur in the western part of the country.
They add that just 15 people have died from the plague in the past 25 years, so while it isn't impossible, it is highly unlikely.
Health conditions and allergies can impact how a person reacts to the plague, as well as how they are treated.
It usually takes up to 14 days of antibiotics to be fully cured after coming down with the disease.
While there are three types of the plague, that being pneumonic, septicemic and bubonic, the latter is the most common.
Patients with the bubonic plague can develop a fever, headache, chills, and weakness as a result of the bite from an infected flea. If left untreated, other parts of the body can be affected by the bacteria.
Known also as the 'Black Death', it killed anywhere between 75 and 200 million people in medieval times, including around half of Europe's population, with no cure readily available.
For those struggling to visualise what the plague could do to you, look no further than YouTuber Zack D. Films to lay it all out for you.
The video explains: "If you got bitten by a flea, a bacterium would enter your body and begin to multiply quickly. They would head to your lymph nodes, causing them to swell up and forming painful bumps in your armpits."
It is also said that the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause bleeding under the skin, appearing as dark or black spots in certain areas.
The simulation shows the person's finger tips becoming black before spreading slowly, in a depiction of the bubonic plague in particular.
This is where the 'black death' nickname came from, and without medicine, it can spread fast and kill the infected.
Forms of the plague in general are rare nowadays, with pneumonic plague remaining as the most serious form, as it can spread to the lungs.
Luckily for us, the plague is no longer found in the UK, though the El Dorado County officials mentioned the rarity of the infection.
"Plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including higher elevation areas of El Dorado County," El Dorado County's acting public health director, Kyle Fliflet, stated.
Joshua Nair