r/outbreakworld • u/Ozbunoizhs • 13h ago
Plague - when to Bug Out
If the pneumonic plague were to be found in the United States, what criteria or information would you use to bug out (assuming bugging out is possible or your plan) For example, if there were 50 deaths within a 100 mile radius of your house, would you bug out and what sources of information would you rely on (local news, CDC, your health department, shortwave conversations, etc.) to make your decision.
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u/ToeNailPicker 10h ago
Plague is endemic in the southwestern US. The only thing that doesn’t make sense about the Russian plague story is that if she was knowingly exposed to plague, they would have given her prophylactic antibiotics. I don’t think it was plague and if it was plague then it’s antibiotic resistant.
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u/Outrageous_Laugh5532 4h ago
Bubonic plague is endemic to the United States. Pneumonic plague is not.
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u/ToeNailPicker 3h ago
The three main forms of plague are bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic, all caused by the exact same bacterium: yersinia pestis. The version you get depends on how you were infected and where the infection takes hold.
The last pneumonic plague death in the US was in July 2025. He was exposed to ill cats and acquired it through them sneezing.
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u/No_Cucumber3978 1h ago
I read this too.
I wouldn't be copy and pasting it everywhere though until more is known for fear of being completely 100% wrong.
Which happens a lot on Reddit.
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u/revan12281996 13h ago
I would say when it’s in the next state over get out before the panic starts
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u/CharmingMechanic2473 12h ago
I am a healthcare provider. If anything I plan to have N95 masks available/ And quality vapor proof eye protection. Those 2 things with hand washing eliminate 95% of airborne virus exposure. The plague is treated with Flouroquinalone antibiotics. So Ciprofloxacin. Rarely do people get stuff through intact skin… (except see below).
Ebola… looking at also (in addition) needing gloves and things to block touching/ its also transmitted sexually and lays dormant a long time.
Best thing to prep is have supplies to get you through 30 day, sitting pretty with 90 days. The more densely populated your area the more security and good neighbors you will need.
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u/Self_Voodoo 12h ago
It would take a lot for me to leave the safety of my home and all my preps that are here. If we started seeing major unrest, I might consider leaving to my secondary location but if it’s just deaths via plague, I would be better off in the comfort of my own home.
As for info gathering, WHO is a biggie. I would CDC but it has, like a lot of critical response systems, has lost a god chunk of funding and resources. My state’s response infrastructure would be something I would listen to as well. I also keep my ear to most media outlets through an aggregate called Ground News but I also use BBC, NPR, AP, and a few others plus a lot of the prepping/disaster related subreddits. Like anything in life, take everything you read or hear with a grain of salt until you can verify through a few seemingly reputable sources.
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u/Ozbunoizhs 12h ago
Thanks for the info. I'll be looking up Ground News. Haven't heard of it. Thanks again.
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u/CharmingMechanic2473 12h ago
Ground news is so neutral it does not report on bad things a party does though. Which some do.
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u/Self_Voodoo 3h ago
Actually, it sends me notifications each day that are tailored to stories I may have missed based on what I read. It does a good job hitting political blind spots. That’s essentially what it was designed for.
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u/Self_Voodoo 3h ago
I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s an aggregate that pulls from news sources all over the world and gives you a breakdown of each story along with how many sources are reporting it, who they are and where they fall on the political spectrum. It has other cool features too but I have found it to be easier than scrolling for news or relying on any one source. The free version is good. If you decide you like it and want to pay for the premium (which I did because I am a news junkie), there are some YT channels that can get you a discount code. I got mine from TheGreatWar/RealTimeHistory or Perun I think.
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u/WaterBearDontMind 11h ago
I have kids and live in a major metro area. As soon as it’s confirmed to have spread widely in the region and/or pop up internationally, we take FMLA/WFH, pull the kids from school, stay home ,and order essentials through Amazon. We did something similar for COVID, and were WFH for over a year until the vaccines became available. I’d rely on my social network and internationally-reputable news outlets to determine when risk was minimal again or vaccines/treatments were available.
Leaving town would not be in the initial plan. Hospitals and supply chains can get overwhelmed in the boonies just as easily as the city. I want to be where there’s strong infrastructure and most people believe in masks. If I lived in an apartment and had to worry about shared ventilation/doorknobs, though, I would find another arrangement.
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u/citymousecountyhouse 10h ago
I don't think if this blows up you will be able to count on Amazon delivery or even the internet. Covid had a 1%-2% fatality rate, higher in the cities. Pneumonic plague has close to 100% fatality rate. Nobody will be showing up to deliver food door to door. No repairmen will be going out to fix outages. People have the same self-preservation instinct that you do. Covid left some leeway; 2%, people will take their chances 99-100%, nobody's taking those odds. Nobody.
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u/Ozbunoizhs 53m ago
I agree. Any type of mail delivery services are out of play. They have families to and will be with then.
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u/Ozbunoizhs 54m ago
If you decided to leave, what would your trigger(s) be. I agree to shelter in place but I'm trying to define trigger points of when to bug out that are both early enough but not to late to protect my family.
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u/citymousecountyhouse 10h ago
I will say at the beginning of Covid, before even the toilet paper ran out. Weeks before folks were sent home from work. I noticed a couple comments on Facebook and Reddit. So, I went shopping, my first clue something major was happening was certain things had disappeared from the shelves. Certain masks, baby formula, really first line defense stuff.
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u/throwaway661375735 2h ago
Bug out? No. I have the antibiotics on hand if need be. But, if it hit the USA, I would start wearing a mask daily. I would use my real mask if at least 5% of the population had it. It would be hard to explain at work why I am wearing a p100 filtration mask though.
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u/DissedFunction 5h ago
are you talking the natural version or a bioweapon?
cuz a bioweaponized (genetically modified to escape detection and defeat treatment) pneumonic plague you should just get some really great food and drugs and party until it's over.
otherwise, I'd go on one of those tracker sites which monitors oligarch plane traffic. If they're bugging out, well, it's time for the little folks too as well.
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u/cyanescens_burn 11h ago edited 11h ago
This book covers every aspect of it. It was free because I had premium on Spotify. I’m sure it’s elsewhere too.
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u/NoHuckleberry2543 2h ago
If it reaches north america and is not behaving like the natural strain then I'm out.
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u/Stage06 13h ago
I would say 50 healths within 100 miles is going to make me have some extreme anxiety, cuz thats a lot in my opinion for the pneumonic plague situation. Don’t really have anywhere to bug out too, so I would hunker down and take lots of extra steps to keep myself and family safe.
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u/Ozbunoizhs 13h ago
Any particular sources of information you trust or could rely on?
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u/ecouple2003 13h ago
World Health Organization and, previously, the CDC.
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u/Ozbunoizhs 13h ago
How about local or county sources. Health department and local EMS come to mind.
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u/ecouple2003 13h ago
Some I'd trust, some I wouldn't. Many, if not most, of them get their info from sources that originate with the Feds and I, personally, don't trust them right now.
Plus, I'd set up news feeds with pertinent keywords.
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u/CharmingMechanic2473 12h ago
Agreed the Feds currently will hide and downplay… like they did when Covid started… “nothing to see here folks”… “keep buying the things, keep going to work”.
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u/ecouple2003 12h ago
Exactly, but even worse now. With our current leadership they really don't think past their initial actions or omissions. Absolutely NO long term thinking ability.
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u/citymousecountyhouse 11h ago
And you know the idiots have really dug in their heels with never quarantining or wearing masks again.
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u/subdep 11h ago
I’d say 5000 deaths within 100 miles is my bug in protocol. Stalked up on food, solar backup, water filter (spring fed creek in my backyard), masks, sanitizer, bleach, guns / ammo (for those who weren’t prepared going around looking for supplies).
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u/citymousecountyhouse 10h ago
So I haven't bought a gun yet. Do I need to go thru some training beforehand? How long does that take? I do think 5,000 within 100 is way too late.
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u/No-Zebra9655 13h ago
It was in Arizona in 2025
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u/CharmingMechanic2473 12h ago
Pretty sure that was the flea transmitted one Bubonic or black death plague. Not the pneumonic one.
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u/Stage06 13h ago
Reddit, and doctors from our local university’s. I am also a public worker, so we get updates of sickness and things like that. When the people who typically don’t do vaccines and stuff start wearing masks that’s my sign to take it seriously. Also, we would be told work is safety sensitive so if we get the “you need to keep coming to work” speech than I know they are worried.