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VonUndZuFriedenfeldt t1_jaedq4d wrote

Reply to comment by Linzold in [eli5] Black plaque was not exactly cured, how did it just disappear from Europe in 1353? by Linzold

there is a difference between the normal one and the one in the lungs (that's 99% lethal).

The intensity depends on two other factors:

  1. response of local authorities (which over the course of the centuries became more adept at dealing with outbreaks: one such measure was quarantaining (The Venetians had an island for that), ships using special flags to signal the disease on board, etc. The duke of Milan infamously bricked in any house that had a patient in it: harsh but it worked.

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  1. the health of the population: as mentioned before, resistance did improve in the population, HOWEVER: famines (either due to war or bad harvests) impacted the health of the population that was affected by an outbreak.
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