On July 14, Jefferson County Public Health officials announced that they found the first case of bubonic plague in a squirrel. Only three days later, the first human case of bubonic plague was confirmed.
The first human cases of the plague came from Inner Mongolia when two brothers were hospitalized after eating infected groundhog meat or a large ground squirrel. Chinese authorities have kept the area under the level three warning until the end of 2020.
(Photo: Downloaded from the official Getty Images website)
On July 16, there was another case of bubonic plague when a 15-year-old boy died after eating a groundhog. This time, it happened in western Mongolia in the Gobi-Altai province.
Since 2005, there have been 21 cases of bubonic plague in Colorado. They have already found several infected rodents in Jefferson, Adams and Broomfield counties.
Septicemic Plague
The resident was reported to have come into contact with infected squirrels in the southwestern region of the state. Earlier this summer, he had Septicemic Plague, one of three forms of infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria.
Septicemic plague is the second most severe but rarest form of bubonic plague characterized by symptoms of fever, abdominal pain, and bleeding. Fingers, toes, and nose usually turn black due to excessive internal bleeding and may even die.
Although bubonic plague is quite serious and needs immediate medical attention, it is not easily contagious. The most common form of bubonic plague occurs with severe inflammation of the lymph nodes.
Officials reported that until now, no one else had been infected. Infected patients generally recover with appropriate antibiotic treatment immediately after the infection has been identified.
Also read: Chinese authorities report suspected case of bubonic plague
There is no plague pandemic
‘While we see the highest plague activity during the summer, the disease can be found in rodents throughout the year and [it] sometimes it spreads to other wildlife, as well as domestic cats and dogs, “shared Dr. Jenifer House, the Colorado public health veterinarian.” Plague has been present in Colorado since at least the 1940s, and most cases in wild rodents in Colorado years.
When the first squirrel case was reported, Jefferson County officials told pet owners to take extra precautions since fleas from an infected rodent can be transferred to their cats or dogs. Although the bacteria enters fleas, it does not harm the insect, making it the perfect carrier of the deadly pest.
Authorities also tell the public that these cases are not cause for panic and that normal precautions must be taken. They reported that “plague generally occurs somewhere in Colorado every year.” Dead squirrels are generally not tested individually, but this positive case occurred after someone saw more than a dozen dead squirrels in one area.
Michael Head of the University of Southampton, UK said: ‘We are not going to see a global outbreak or a plague pandemic. That’s not going to happen.’
Also read: Bubonic plague is now in Colorado, health officials warn
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