Rats are bad news

There have been some quite nasty disease outbreaks over the years – pandemics, epidemics, plagues, epizootics…

Fortunately, despite the terrible horror and mad despair these biologic catastrophes leave in their wake, they also provide human beings with the opportunity to adapt and to learn. The opportunity to hone our survival capabilities.

Last time, we discussed the Plague of Justinian, 1,475 years ago, the first ever recorded disease outbreak. You'll recognize the next major one in history, the Black Death.

Oh yes, the Black Death… perhaps the most infamous instance of disease outbreaks humans ever experienced. This pandemic influenced generations of art, and is still referenced today as one of the darkest, most horrific chapters of our past.

Understandably. It ravaged the populations of India,

Mesopotamia, Tartary, Syria and Armenia before it even reached Europe – where it [arguably] did the most damage.

Dead bodies were everywhere. Everyone was sick. Everyone seemed to be dying. Plague doctors moved eerily from house to house, visiting the infected and declaring the dead…

Strange and horrible times abounded.

Well, the takeaway I’m going to focus on here is a simple one, but an important one: The Black Death started in 1346, but unlike the Plague of Justinian, it came back and came back, and came back again. In fact, this lethal disease was sweeping back and forth across history so persistently that it was present in Europe every year from 1346-1671.

Could you imagine? America is only 250 years old – the Black Death was massacring Europe for 325 years! Our entire national history could fit inside that of the Black Death, plus an extra 75 years. Never underestimate the tenacity of a disease outbreak – when you think it’s finally gone for good, subdued, contained, vanquished, it may come back to stub out you and your family and all your friends. Never let your guard down.

And, once again, ground rodents (i.e. rats) are attributed with facilitating the spread of the Black Death, acting as carriers.

Rats are bad news when it comes to diseases. Making sure they stay out of your food, and your home, and your life in general is important to sustaining a healthy, uninfected life.

Remember, we're all in this together,

Derek Paulson
Prepared Patriot