How do you get the Plague? What we call the Plague (Yersinia pestis) is normal for a rodent to have. Humans can get the plague by ether being bit by the rodent, being bit by a flea (most likely The Oriental Rat Flea) that has bit a rodent, or getting it by being in direct or close contact with a human that already has it. Sometimes in the movies you see knights throwing Plagued meat into a well or tub, which is later used by the enemy. Yes, this would be a way to get the plague but I count it as direct contact. Some people say that the Black Death was spread by an airborne virus much like Ebola, but I havent found many resources that talk about this new theory yet.