Three cases of Buboinic plague are reported in Cape Town

Three cases of Bubonic plague were reported in Cape Town, South Africa. The first cases of Bubonic plague in Cape Town emerged on 1 February 1901. The disease then spread across the city resulting in the establishment of segregated residential areas with Africans being forced to move to the periphery of the city. African people and their residential areas were cited by the government as being responsible for the spread of the disease. The disease spread to other towns such as Port Elizabeth (PE) by mid 1901. As consequence, white people in PE forced black people to reside in designated areas such as New Brighton. Bubonic plague is a potentially fatal bacterial infection called "Yersina pestis”. It spread through a bite by fleas which live on animals such as black rats. The epidemic killed millions of Europeans in the Middle Ages.