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There are few events in human history as ominous — both in name and impact — as the Black Death. The bubonic plague pandemic made its way across Eurasia and north Africa between 1346 and 1553. It's estimated to have killed up to 200 million people, or 60 per cent of the Earth's entire population at the time. Now, scientists believe they have pinpointed the origin of the Black Death to a region of present day Kyrgyzstan called Issyk-Kul, once a stopover on the Silk Road trade route in the 14th century. Its place of origin has been one of...

VIDEOIn this video I show you why I consider Picanha to be the KING of all BBQ steaks. You might have eaten Picanha at Brazilian Steakhouses but as you can see, you can also prepare it at home with AMAZING results. One important detail is that when you sear your steaks, be sure to keep the meat only over the charcoal with the fat caps over the side with no charcoal below. This is because you want to prevent flareups from the burning the steak. As far as the fat caps, I sear them after both sides of the steaks...

Michael Steele, tell us what you really think. Steele, Chair of the Republican National Committee from 2009 to 2011 has made no secret of his disdain for Donald Trump and anybody who supports him, has become increasingly strident in his condemnations of Republicans. Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele warned his party against legitimizing some Trump-aligned figures as political leaders, calling them “fleas” and “blood-sucking ticks” whom potential House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., would have to “lay down with.”

In the Middle Ages, the plague caused tens of millions of deaths in Europe in a series of outbreaks known as the Black Death. And while it's extremely rare in modern times, the deadly bacterial infection is still around today — but how likely are you to catch it? This week, California reported its first case of plague in five years. The patient, a resident of the South Lake Tahoe area, is said to be recovering at home. And in July, a 15-year-old boy in western Mongolia died of bubonic plague that he contracted from an infected marmot. According to...

Colorado health officials announced a squirrel in the state tested positive for the bubonic plague. Health officials reported the squirrel was the first documented case of the disease in the Town of Morrison in Jefferson County. Bubonic plague is an infectious illness caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria. Scientists said the disease spreads through bites of infected fleas and can affect not only humans but also household animals. The World Health Organization explained those suffering from the disease experience their lymph nodes getting inflamed. The painful swollen glands are, in some countries, called "bubo." While the disease is highly infectious,...

Los Angeles officials are potentially exploring ripping out all the carpet at City Hall amid reports of the building being overrun by rats and fleas as a typhus outbreak plagues the downtown area. Council President Herb Wesson, who filed the motion Wednesday and at one point moved his staff to another location over the rodent infestation, also asked officials to investigate the “scope and vermin of pest control issues.” He cited a case involving a city employee who possibly contracted the flea-borne illness while at work. “Employees shouldn’t have to come to work worried about rodents,” ... The California Department...

Originally was a problem with the homeless population, but the problem is complicated by mounds of food and trash found in downtown which attracts rats and fleas. Typhus carried by rats as vectors of fleas, although feral cats and other mammals can carry the fleas. The typhus epidemic is only getting worse, and is expanding outside of downtown. 124 people have been confirmed as having typhus in LA; this number includes residents and visitors. 80% of those infected are residents outside downtown.

Public health authorities are investigating an outbreak of flea-borne typhus in downtown Los Angeles. Typhus is a disease caused by bacteria found in infected fleas that can come from many kinds of animals including cats, rats and opossums. Symptoms can include high fever, chills, headaches and rashes. Accumulations of trash that attract animals like rats may increase the risk of exposure. Typhus is treated with antibiotics. It is not transmitted person-to-person.

A flea-borne typhus outbreak among homeless in downtown Los Angeles triggered an investigation by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health after several cases were reported, the agency said Thursday. NBC sources say the number may be upwards of at least a dozen. Typhus can cause fever, chills, body aches, nausea and vomiting, cough, and rash, but can be treated with antibiotics. If not treated however, it can be fatal. Flea-borne typhus is a bacteria that spreads to humans when they come in contact with infected fleas or rat feces. Animals such as cats, rodents and opossums all attract...

TAYLOR, Ariz. (3TV/CBS5) — Health officials are urging people to take precautions after a second Arizona county in two weeks confirmed that fleas in the area have tested positive for plague. The announcement by Navajo County Public Health officials on Friday comes one week after Coconino County officials found prairie dogs in the area to be carrying fleas with the plague -- the infectious disease infamous for killing millions of Europeans in the Middle Ages. The fleas in Navajo County were found near the town of Taylor. Health officials have notified the residents whose property will be treated. The area...

State public health veterinarian Paul Ettestad said plague can be present in fleas that infest wild rodents in Santa Fe County, including within the city limits of Santa Fe and in other locations around New Mexico. "Pets that are allowed to roam and hunt can bring infected fleas from dead rodents back into the home, putting you and your children at risk," he said. Health workers are conducted environmental investigations around the homes of the three patients to look for ongoing risk and to ensure the safety of the immediate family members and neighbors."

A flesh-eating tropical disease is ravaging the war-torn Middle East, after Islamic State destruction created the ideal breeding conditions. The parasitic disease called Cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by bites from tiny infected sand flies which thriving in the squalid conditions left in the wake of Islamic State terror and conflict. Thousands of cases have now been reported. Previous, it was contained in Syria but has spread to Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan after more than four million Syrians fled there ,With the same migrants now heading on to Europe in their millions, it could be just a matter of times before...

Fleas kill dog left tied-up and crying for help "That dog was crying for at least eight hours. I had never heard an animal so sad in my life,” said a neighbor.

The authorities in Oregon have confirmed a case of the bubonic plague in a teenage girl who was believed to have contracted the disease from a flea bite. Plague is rare and treatable with antibiotics if caught early, but federal authorities have been puzzled by an increase in cases this year. In a statement, state and local health officials in Oregon said they thought the girl was infected during a hunting trip on Oct. 16 near Heppner, a city located at the foothills of the Blue Mountains in the northeastern region of the state.

A Sikh student from New Zealand who broke strict religious protocol by taking off his turban to help save the life of a child hit by a car has been heralded as a hero. Harman Singh, 22, removed his turban to cradle the bleeding head of a five-year-old boy who had been struck on his way to school in Takanini, South Auckland. Could not fit actual title due to length. Title should read: Touching moment a Sikh man breaks strict religious protocol and removes his turban to help save life of a five-year-old boy who was hit by a car

Help Freepers! How can we effectively completely eliminate fleas from the house. We are getting rid of the cat immediately. A long time ago, one could buy Lindane, but I believe that has been banned. Would appreciate any advice on how to rid the house permanently of the little buggers. To save you words, I already know about he egg cycle thing from previous experience. Just can't find any Lindane.

BISHKEK, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A teenage boy has died of bubonic plague in the Issyk-Kul region in northern Kyrgyzstan, the country's Health Ministry said on Monday. The 15-year-old Temir Isakunov fell ill on Aug. 17, when doctors at that time failed to make correct diagnosis, and they suspected he was infected with the plague only after his death. A panel of doctors confirmed that Isakunov died of bubonic plague after they made a second diagnosis on Sunday. The Health Ministry said the boy was infected with the plague after being bitten by fleas. Some 102 people were found to...

A 7-Year-Old Girl Caught Bubonic Plague On A Camping TripAllison Jackson, GlobalPostSep. 8, 2012, 3:03 PMA seven-year-old girl is lucky to be alive after contracting the bubonic plague during a family camping trip in southwest Colorado. Sierra Jane Downing became sick a few days after the outing in Pagosa Springs. Her parents Darcy and Sean thought she had the flu until she started having seizures, the Associated Press reported. They rushed her to hospital where doctors eventually diagnosed the bubonic plague—the first confirmed case of the deadly disease in Colorado since 2006. "I didn't know what was going on. I...

The Left: An Occupy organizer admitted over the weekend that the goal of his protest group was to "overthrow the capitalist system and build communism." So the cat's out of the bag again on this bunch. Where is the outrage? The true agenda of the Occupy movement has been revealed — it's a totalitarian one. Billing itself as a spontaneous people's revolution and embraced by the media and Democrat political establishment, Occupy is really a destructive band of thugs whose goal is the violent demise of democracy. Speaking at a "People's Assembly" in Washington, former Amalgamated Transit Union local 689...

Democratic convention changes renew concerns about financial risk to backersBy Joseph Weber Published June 30, 2012 FoxNews.com The decision this week by the host committee of the Democratic National Convention to scrap a major event has sparked new concerns about the committee’s financial situation -- including a $10 million line of credit and a utility company’s connection to the deal. Stimulus-backed Duke Energy Corp. last year agreed to guarantee the line of credit for the party affair. This decision was a big help for the organizers, as the credit line was required by the Democratic National Committee. But it also...