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)
Another plague from Arizona. Pity.
TC
May one fly up John NcCain’s nose!
But seriously, it's summer and with the monsoon comes the plague - 3 or 4 cases a year. No epidemic yet.
Been that way for 30 years.
About twenty years ago I knew an medical doctor from Turkey who was then in his 80s. He told me that he had treated cases of Bubonic Plague and Smallpox.
New Mexico, we're #1!
Wage Slave Steve: “I’m a little under the weather, Bob, but I’ll be in later.”
Boss Bob: “Whatcha got Steve?”
Steve: “Just a touch of Black Death.”
Bob: “Take the rest of the summer off, Steve.”
One in Chicago?......................
Can’t they use D-con?...................
Lots of rats there, gotta go with the percentages.
Geeze! First McCain and now this! How will they tell them apart?
Trying to D-con whole mountains would probably be cost prohibitive. Cheaper to just put up signs saying “if you experience flu like symptoms within a couple of weeks of being here, go immediately to your doctor and tell them you have The Plague”. Luckily modern medicine makes it not that big a deal, assuming you actually go to your doctor of course.
That was a researcher at UChicago back in 2009.
I haven't been following the Northwestern murder case lately very closely, but the professor involved was another bubonic plague researcher.
"The epidemic of cocoliztli from1545 to 1548 killed an estimated 5 million to 15 million people, or up to 80% of the native population of Mexico (Figure 1). In absolute and relative terms the 1545 epidemic was one of the worst demographic catastrophes in human history, approaching even the Black Death of bubonic plague, which killed approximately 25 million in western Europe from 1347 to 1351 or about 50% of the regional population."
"The cocoliztli epidemic from 1576 to 1578 cocoliztli epidemic killed an additional 2 to 2.5 million people, or about 50% of the remaining native population."
Poor fleas caught it from biting McPain.
Manuel,have you ever heard of the bubonic plague....
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