Geez, all this for a case of plague? Take a look at the map in #21. New Mexico is ground zero and commonly has several cases a year in humans. The news is usually in the local news section of the ABQ Journal and not on the front page.
Some common sense precautions are all that are needed to protect yourselves — make sure pets have flea protection, treat burrows with flea powder and never pick up dead or dying rodents (e.g. ground squirrels, rabbits, etc.). Plague, if caught early, can be treated with antibiotics.
A much more dangerous and deadly disease is the hantavirus which is present in urine and feces droppings from small rodents like mice. It has no cure and death comes from respiratory failure. Local hospitals can provide supportive care but even then there is a 50% or greater chance of death.
Les Stroud did an episode of Survivorman in the southwest and was talking about the disease. He even ate a rodent he caught but made a point of not touching it and making sure it was well cooked.
Don’t ever try to clean up a rodent-infested or previously rodent-infested barn by sweeping. You will just get all the hanta virus into the air and breathe it in. Have it done professionally by people with face masks and vacuum cleaners.