New research suggests the Black Death began in 1338 in what is present day Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia.
The bubonic plague outbreak ravaged the world from 1346 to 1353 and is the most deadly pandemic recorded in human history, causing the deaths of up to 200 million people.
Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis spread by fleas, but it can also take a secondary form where it is spread from person-to-person via droplets in the air.
