How is the word plague used as a metaphor outside medicine?

Outside of its medical definition, the word plague has been used metaphorically for centuries to describe various forms of calamity, affliction, and annoyance. Because the term derives from the Latin plaga, meaning "a blow," it has historically functioned as a way to characterize something that strikes or smites with destructive force.12

Common metaphorical uses include:

• Calamity and Affliction: It is frequently used to describe a disastrous evil or a general state of suffering, often drawing on the imagery of the biblical Ten Plagues of Egypt.12
• Nuisance or Irritation: The term often denotes a sudden, unwelcome outbreak of something bothersome, such as a "plague of burglaries" or general daily annoyances.12
• Infestation: It describes a destructively numerous influx of noxious animals or insects, such as a "plague of locusts".12
• Curses and Invective: In literature, such as in the works of William Shakespeare, it is used as a form of curse or expression of intense vexation.2
• Allegory: Authors like Albert Camus have used the concept of plague as an allegory for societal evils, such as fascism, representing forces that creep into a society and cause subtle, destructive shifts in behavior.2
• Idiomatic Expressions: The phrase "avoid like the plague" is a long-standing idiom used to describe the act of shunning something or someone entirely.2