Plague symptoms and treatment
Last updated 2026-10-05
Pneumonic plague symptoms
- Sudden fever and chills
- Severe headache and weakness
- Cough, chest pain and shortness of breath
- Bloody or watery sputum
- Rapid progression to respiratory failure
Other forms
- Bubonic: painful, swollen lymph nodes (buboes), fever, chills.
- Septicemic: fever, abdominal pain, bleeding, shock; can occur without buboes.
What to do
Plague needs urgent medical care. If you have been in close contact with a suspected case and develop symptoms, contact health services immediately and say so. Do not self-diagnose. Early antibiotics are what make the difference between a treatable infection and a fatal one.
Treatment
Streptomycin, gentamicin, doxycycline and ciprofloxacin are commonly used. Patients with pneumonic plague are isolated until they have had at least 48 hours of effective treatment.
This page is general information, not medical advice. See the WHO plague fact sheet and the CDC.