This is how Porfirio Díaz prevented the Black Death pandemic in Mexico; the country was one of the best in confronting it
In 1902 President Porfirio Diaz ordered a strategy to prevent the spread of the Black Death. This is how he avoided the pandemic in Mexico.
The Black Death pandemic that Porfirio Diaz stopped broke out in Mazatlan in the state of Sinaloa and was brought by a ship coming from San Francisco, so the president immediately ordered a strategy and a very severe plan to prevent the pandemic from affecting the whole country and becoming a health problem for Mexicans.
It was in 1902 when Don Porfirio Diaz was notified about the outbreak of black plague in that region, so he immediately ordered to raise a siege in the port, totally isolating the infected, their belongings, clothes, and even houses in which there were a great number of contagions, were burned to "eliminate" the virus.
Some animals that could have had contact with the deadly virus that caused this terrible disease were sacrificed. Díaz also ordered the complete closure of ships and maritime traffic in Mazatlán, taking it to other ports, and also disinfected houses, covered sewers, wells, and rivers so that the infected water could not "travel" out of the city.
By March 1903, three months after the black plague was eliminated from Mexico, only 582 deaths were recorded, compared to other countries where there were millions of deaths due to the black plague and the poor measures implemented to combat it, as was the case in India, which had just over 12 million deaths.
After the implementation of such measures, the Diaz government requested the purchase of millions of doses from Europe, which as in these times, many people were afraid, however, given the situation and with a good dialogue with the government, they finally agreed. The disinfection of the city, houses, and clothes was reinforced, and during this time, the government was in charge of the electric power supply, as well as clothes and basic food for the sick.
A special hospital was assigned to treat the disease, although historians assure that Diaz was a "dictator" and implemented quite extreme measures, he avoided thousands of deaths in a very short time, considering him as the best president in the history of Mexico.
Black Death detected in California in 2020
A resident of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., tested positive for a highly infectious disease known as the "Black Death" during the Middle Ages, the first case recorded in five years in the state. El Dorado County health officials said in a statement that they suspected the person was bitten by a plague-infected flea while walking his dog in the Tahoe Keys area or along the Truckee River corridor in central-eastern California. The investigation is still ongoing. Signs were distributed around South Lake Tahoe to warn of the presence of the pest and how to prevent exposure.
Plague, which has three variants, including bubonic plague, is a highly infectious and often fatal disease caused by bacteria that is spread primarily by rodents. It can now be effectively treated with antibiotics if detected early, El Dorado health officials said.
Plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including the higher elevation areas of El Dorado County.
People need to take precautions for both themselves and their pets when outdoors, especially when walking, hiking, or camping in areas where wild rodents are present. "Human cases of plague are extremely rare but can be very serious," El Dorado County public health official Nancy Williams said in a statement.
