Musnad Ahmad 941:10

Sufyan narrated to us, from ‘Amr, from ‘Amir ibn Sa‘d, who said: A man came asking Sa‘d about the plague. Usamah ibn Zayd said: I will tell you about it. I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: "Indeed, this is a punishment, or something similar, which Allah sent upon people before you, or a faction of the Children of Israel. It comes at times and goes at times. So, if it occurs in a land, do not enter upon it, and if it occurs in a land, do not leave it, fleeing from it."