Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Mt. Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
University of Zimbabwe Lake Kariba Research Station, Kariba, Zimbabwe.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019 Nov 21;13(11):e0007761. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007761. eCollection 2019 Nov.
Plague is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and is transmitted through the bites of infected rodent fleas. Plague is well known for causing 3 major human pandemics that have killed millions of people since 541 A.D. The aim of this Review is to provide an overview of the epidemiology and ecology of plague in Zimbabwe with special emphasis on its introduction, its potential reservoirs and vectors, and possible causes of its persistence and cyclic outbreaks. To achieve this, we carried out a search and document reported plague outbreaks in Zimbabwe. In the country, human plague cases have been reported in Hwange, Nkayi, and Lupane since 1974. The highest number of cases occurred in 1994 in the Nkayi district of Matabeleland North Province with a total of 329 confirmed human cases and 28 deaths. Plague is encountered in 2 different foci in the country, sylvatic and rural. Risk factors for contracting plague in the country include man-to-rodent contact, cultivation, hunting, cattle herding, handling of infected materials, camping in forests, and anthropic invasion of new areas. Plague is now enzootic in Zimbabwe, and the most recent case was reported in 2012, hence its effective control requires up-to-date information on the epidemiology and ecology of the disease. This can be achieved through continuous monitoring and awareness programs in plague-prone areas.
鼠疫是一种由鼠疫耶尔森菌引起的人畜共患病，通过感染啮齿动物跳蚤的叮咬传播。鼠疫自公元 541 年以来已导致 3 次大流行，造成数百万人死亡，因此广为人知。本综述的目的是概述津巴布韦鼠疫的流行病学和生态学，特别强调其传入、潜在宿主和媒介，以及其持续存在和周期性爆发的可能原因。为实现这一目标，我们对津巴布韦报告的鼠疫疫情进行了搜索和文献记录。自 1974 年以来，津巴布韦的赫万格、恩卡伊和卢帕内已报告出现人间鼠疫病例。1994 年，北马塔贝莱兰省恩卡伊区报告的病例数最多，共有 329 例确诊人间病例和 28 例死亡。该国存在两种不同的鼠疫疫源地，即森林型和农村型。该国感染鼠疫的危险因素包括人与啮齿动物接触、耕作、狩猎、放牧、处理感染材料、在森林露营以及人为侵入新地区。目前，鼠疫在津巴布韦呈地方性流行，最近的病例报告于 2012 年，因此，要有效控制鼠疫，需要掌握有关该疾病的流行病学和生态学的最新信息。这可以通过在鼠疫流行地区持续监测和开展宣传活动来实现。
