Emily Chan
Health officials have confirmed a rare case of bubonic plague in Pueblo County, Colorado. They are urging people to keep an eye out for the infectious disease. According to the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, the source of the plague is still under investigation.
The plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It is best known for bringing about “The Black Death,” a lethal outbreak that killed millions of Europeans during the Middle Ages. It still infects humans in the United States every year, although it is rare.
The plague can infect humans and a wide range of animals, such as rats, mice, rabbits, prairie dogs, marmots, chipmunks, and squirrels. It is usually transmitted by fleas, although humans can catch the disease by coming into direct contact with contaminated body fluids or tissue.
Typical symptoms of the plague include severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, sudden fever and chills, and, most commonly, painfully swollen lymph nodes. Anyone with these symptoms should seek medical attention right away.
“Plague can be treated successfully with antibiotics, but an infected person must be treated promptly to avoid serious complications or death,” Alicia Solis, the program manager of the Office of Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness at the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, said.
The disease progresses rapidly. If it’s treated in time, recovery rates are high. If left untreated, bubonic plague kills up to 60 percent of people. Plague naturally circulates among animals and their fleas in all areas of the world except for Oceania and Antarctica.
The World Health Organization found that from 2010 to 2015, human plague cases occurred most frequently in Peru, Madagascar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the U.S., plague is most common in the rural West. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are around seven cases each year in the U.S.
To avoid infection, officials recommend taking steps to reduce the number of wild rodents around humans. Around homes, eliminate places where the critters can hide, such as rock piles, brush, trash, and piles of lumber.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
