Officials say a case of the plague documented on June 30 has killed a Colorado couple.
The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment (PDPHE) is working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to investigate, according to a press release.
“We advise all individuals to protect themselves and their pets from plague,” Alicia Solis, program manager of the Office of Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness at PDPHE, stated in the release.
Over time, it is thought that the bubonic plague – caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria – made its way to North America from South Asia on rats hitching a ride with ships in about 1900, said Timothy Brewer MD, professor of medicine and epidemiology at UCLA.
“Since its introduction 120 years ago, it has become endemic in ground squirrels and rodents in the rural Southwestern U.S.,” he told Fox News Digital.
On a special note, the disease can affect all ages although more than half of the cases involve patients aged 12 and up to 45 years old, reported by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Annually, there are only seven cases in the U.S., on average, while 1,000 to 2,000 plague cases globally are reported annually to the World Health Organization.
It is a deadly infection, with the untreated cases having a fatality ranging from 30% to 60%. Antibiotics lower this rate to less than 5%.
According to the health department, common symptoms are high fever and chills, extreme headache, muscle aches, and nausea with vomiting.
The plague is transmitted through droplets of an infected person landing on to another, says Erica Susky a certified infection control practitioner in Ontario.
“The more common risk of exposure in the U.S. is from pets, rodents and fleas,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Pets can sometimes be infected when encountering an infected flea or rodent and may pass it along to their pet owners from a bite or if the pet is ill.”
Although unlikely, pets can fall sick from plague by being bitten by an infected flea or rodent and may transfer the disease to humans if they bite them or have symptoms of illness.
If possible, always avoid coming into contact with rodents and fleas – dead or alive, Susky said.
“One way to do this is to ensure the home is rodent-proof by eliminating places where rodents may enter and hide,” she told Fox News Digital.
All pets should be kept inside whenever possible and on a leash when outside. If going outside to areas where you could be bitten by fleas or other bugs, use bug repellent to lower your chances of being bit.
Hunters should wear gloves when skinning animals and wash their hands afterward, as well as strip off their clothes immediately afterwards.
Anyone who develops symptoms of plague should see a health care provider immediately, Solis advised in the PDPHE alert.
“Plague can be treated successfully with antibiotics, but an infected person must be treated promptly to avoid serious complications or death.”
