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Plague Today

Photo: Doctor inspecting a hut in Namibia

Thought by most to be extinct, plague is very much alive today. It lives on in rodents on most continents, but conditions for outbreak usually ripen in poverty-stricken rural areas such as this village in Namibia. Here, Dr. Margaretha Issacson, a senior plague control advisor, inspects the hut of plague victim Martha Hainibodi, 61, who has returned to her village after treatment. Antibiotics are used to treat plague, but some fear that if the bacteria develop resistance, another pandemic could occur.

Photograph by Nicole Duplaix