Posted on 08/14/2017 1:51:58 PM PDT by Red Badger
TAYLOR, Ariz. (3TV/CBS5) — Health officials are urging people to take precautions after a second Arizona county in two weeks confirmed that fleas in the area have tested positive for plague.
The announcement by Navajo County Public Health officials on Friday comes one week after Coconino County officials found prairie dogs in the area to be carrying fleas with the plague -- the infectious disease infamous for killing millions of Europeans in the Middle Ages.
The fleas in Navajo County were found near the town of Taylor.
Health officials have notified the residents whose property will be treated. The area will be closely monitored to determine if further action is required.
People are advised to take certain measures to reduce the risk of exposure to this serious disease, which can be present in fleas, rodents, rabbits and predators that feed on these animals.
The disease can be transmitted to humans and other animals by the bite of an infected flea or by direct contact with an infected animal.
To limit possible exposure, people are encouraged to avoid rodent burrows and keep dogs on a leash as required by Arizona state law. An abundance of active prairie dogs doesn’t indicate the disease is present.
However, a sudden die-off of prairie dogs and rodents may be an indicator of plague. Persons noticing a sudden die-off of rodents or rabbits are urged to contact the Navajo County Health Department.
Symptoms of plague in humans generally appear within two to six days following exposure and include the following: fever, chills, headache, weakness, muscle pain, and swollen lymph glands (called “buboes”) in the groin, armpits or limbs.
The disease can become septicemic (spreading throughout the bloodstream) and/or pneumonic (affecting the lungs), but is curable with proper antibiotic therapy if diagnosed and treated early.
Persons living, working, camping or visiting in areas where plague and/or rodents are known to be present are urged to take the following precautions to reduce their risk of exposure:
Do not handle sick or dead animals. Prevent pets from roaming loose. Pets can pick up the infected fleas of wild animals, and then pass fleas on to their human owners. This is one of the common ways for humans to contract plague. Cats with plague can also pass the disease on to humans directly thorough respiratory droplets. De-flea pets routinely. Contact your veterinarian for specific recommendations. Avoid rodent burrows and fleas. Use insect repellents when visiting or working in areas where plague might be active or rodents might be present (campers, hikers, woodcutters and hunters). Wear rubber gloves and other protection when cleaning and skinning wild animals. Do not camp next to rodent burrows and avoid sleeping directly on the ground. Be aware that cats are highly susceptible to this disease and while they can get sick from a variety of illnesses, a sick cat (especially one allowed to run at large outside) should receive care by a veterinarian for proper diagnosis and treatment to reduce human exposure to plague.
In case of illness see your physician immediately as treatment with antibiotics is very effective.
More information is available at https://www.cdc.gov/plague/.
Copyright 2017 KPHO/KTVK (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation)
Release a bunch of them around McCain. We need a backup in case he “survives” his brain cancer.
Nice map.
The dot in Montana is the Brother of a friend of mine from college.
He was guiding some hunters on an antelope hunt.
One of the hunters shot a doe, he offered to field dress it.
A flea bit him (not that he knew at the time)...days later he had some odd pains...the Doctor made a FANTASTIC diagnosis and saved him from some misery. Fantastic call by the Doctor at the time.
Map at post 9 and historical info at post 17
Glad to hear that!
No, is hamster, filigree.
Thanks for that very interesting story.
.
Doers mclame have fleas?
Probably not. Fleas have class. Not much but enough to know to steer clear of John McCain.
Concerns, symptoms and treatment contained in the thread introduction
Map of areas in the USA where plague has historically occurred is at post #9
Historical information about past known plagues and number of fatalities is at post #17
H/T to Whenifhow
But the Desert Bloom from the rains this year bloom not only plants but parasites, too. Fleas just went crazy here in Centex with the extremely rare mid-summer rains.
The southwest sure has more than its fair share.
Thanks, I never knew this.
Are you from Barcelona?.................
Flea meds for dogs are neurotoxic. I’d focus on making homemade concoctions like garlic oil and rubbing it on the dogs. There are other essential oils that fleas also hate, can’t remember what they are but search online, then mix drops of these oils with a carrier oil like coconut or olive (usually the essential oil is too strong to use alone) and apply and brush into the dog’s fur. Some smell so nice and strong that you literally don’t need much - insects, when they hate a smell, don’t come aboard. So doggy isn’t greasy at all. Just has a slight scent of whatever.
One of Tony Hillerman’s detective novel The First Eagle includes a description of how the local public health department handled the problem by seeking out the source and destroying the animals that are vectors.
that book was published awhile back, but I suspect it's still being done, not just for plague but for the mouse borne Hanta virus that pops up every decade or so.
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