The word plague originally and exclusively applied to yersinia pestis, it wasn't until later that people started using the word plague to refer to any epidemic. In this regard, the translation is entirely correct.
At to whether or not the plague is a cliche, even to this day, it remains far and away the single most deadly epidemic in all of human history. Even the 1918 flu pandemic was small in comparison. Saying that the plague is a cliche disease is like saying that swords are a cliche fantasy weapon.