A southwest Colorado resident was infected with plague after exposure to sick squirrels earlier this summer, the state’s first confirmed case of the disease in humans since 2015. But health officials emphasized that the public only needs to take normal precautions.
Plague, a bacterial disease that is usually transmitted by fleas but can also be spread through respiratory drops, has been in Colorado since the 1940s, said Dr. Jennifer House, the state’s public health veterinarian for the Department. of Public Health and Environment of Colorado.
Infected wild animals have been found this year in Jefferson, Adams and Broomfield counties, although the disease can circulate in rodent communities across the state.
“While we see the highest plague activity during the summer, the disease can be found in rodents year-round and sometimes spreads to other wildlife species as well as domestic cats and dogs,” said.
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