Final answer:
A modern pandemic akin to the Black Death would be a massive global crisis, but our current medical technology and global communication might mitigate some impacts despite severe challenges.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a pandemic with lethality comparable to the Black Death happened in modern times, humanity would face a crisis of unprecedented scale. Despite advances in medical technology and global health systems, the high mortality rate could overwhelm healthcare infrastructures, lead to severe economic disruptions, and trigger widespread panic. However, modern transportation would likely facilitate faster spread, while information technology would allow for quicker dissemination of knowledge and public health responses. Today's scientific understanding of pathogens and the availability of antibiotics and vaccines could mitigate the impact to some extent, but the societal and political challenges would be massive. Nations would have to collaborate intensely to contain the outbreak, provide medical care, and maintain social order amidst potential fear and unrest.