Or at least that’s what the news would like you to believe in their alarmist articles. The plague! Fleas! (Fleas are legitimately terrifying I admit.)

“Symptoms of plague in humans generally appear within two to six days following exposure and include the following: fever, chills, headache, weakness, muscle pain, and swollen lymph glands (called ‘buboes’) in the groin, armpits or limbs. The disease can become septicemic (spreading throughout the bloodstream) and/or pneumonic (affecting the lungs), but is curable with proper antibiotic therapy if diagnosed and treated early.”

I know, I know, put the “the plague” in an article headline and you get clicks. And yes, it can be fatal. But the above quote should be more heavily emphasized, as many people will read the headline and nothing else. Seriously, one headline reads:  “Black Death hits AMERICA as the medieval plague that wiped out a quarter of the world’s population is found in FLEAS in Arizona.” This is accurate but melodramatic, as a similar death toll is unlikely to happen today.

On the other hand, I could be wrong! Who knows! Everything is a gamble. Enjoy this giant picture of a flea. Pro tip: Don’t go out of your way to search for flea or plague pictures.