6. Boils and Sores
The sixth plague—painful boils and sores—is often linked by scholars to bacterial infections or toxins introduced by swarms of flies. With livestock dead and sanitation compromised, the risk of contagious skin diseases would have soared. Ancient texts describe similar outbreaks, suggesting these conditions were not uncommon in times of environmental crisis. Recent reviews in The Lancet Infectious Diseases discuss how insect-borne pathogens can trigger mass dermatological symptoms, highlighting another link in the chain of cascading disasters.
