Bubonic Plague Human Case Confirmed in Pueblo County Colorado As Health Officials Investigate Source; Some Must Dos To Help You Be Protected From the Disease

A rare incidence of historically significant disease, health officials have verified a human case of bubonic plague in Pueblo County, Colorado.

The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment is presently looking at the origin of the disease.

Understanding the Plague and Its Transmission

The bacterium Yersinia pestis brought forth the Black Death in the Middle Ages and continues to cause plague today. Wild mice carry this pathogen, which can be transferred to humans by direct touch, flea bites, or respiratory droplets. The CDC says the plague is not common, especially in the U.S., even though it is linked to pandemics.

Fast and sensitive, plague symptoms include fever, chills, severe headaches, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and enlarged lymph nodes. Medical treatment with medications must be fast to prevent serious issues and death.

Alicia Solis, program manager at the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, advised plague patients to seek medical attention immediately. She said antibiotics work but must be started soon to avoid problems or death.

Tips to Help You Be Protected from the Disease

The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment has a list of valuable tips for keeping people from getting the plague. Solis told everyone that they should take steps to keep themselves and their pets safe from the plague. She listed several essential things that can be done.

• Eliminate areas where rodents might find refuge: Verify that there are no areas where rodents might nest in your house, garage, shed, or outside areas. This means removing the brush, rock piles, trash, and wooden stacks.
• Avoid Contact with Dead Animals: If you have to touch sick or dead animals, use bug repellent to keep fleas away. Put the animal in a trash bag using a shovel with a long handle. Then, throw the bag away in an outdoor trash can.
• Use an insect repellent: To avoid getting bitten by fleas, use an insect repellent with 20 to 30 percent DEET. Please put it on skin and clothes showing, mainly on arms, legs, pants, socks, and shoe tops.
• Pet Safety: Don't let your dogs sleep in your bed, and treat them for fleas regularly. Flea collars have not been shown to work, though. Keep pets, like prairie dog groups, from hunting or roaming in places where rodents live.
• Store Pet Food Correctly: To keep rodents away, store pet food in cases they can't get into.

Colorado had 67 cases of plague from 1970 to 2022. It is rare. Seven cases are reported yearly in the U.S. It is still a threat in rural southwestern states like New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. Countries worldwide, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Peru, are still reporting cases.

Even though plague has a bad reputation, it is now a treatable disease that can be controlled quickly. Health professionals say that anyone with signs should immediately see a doctor. The U.S. doesn't have a vaccine for this disease yet, but new ones are being developed.

Educating yourself and taking steps can greatly lower your chances of contracting the plague, which is good for people's and animals' health and safety.

Check out more news and information on Medicine & Health in Science Times.