The Yersinia pestis bacteria is the cause of the bubonic plague, which has been confirmed to have struck a human by Colorado public health experts. About 100 miles south of Denver, in Pueblo County, is where the person resides.
Although hospitalized, the individual is on the mend.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that the bubonic plague “cycles naturally among wild rodents,” including rats and prairie dogs, among others. The disease is spread by fleas. The bacteria is endemic in the Southwest and spreads through handling an infected animal, including occasionally cats, or by flea bites. It is unknown where the infection originated.
In the US, there are about seven cases detected annually.
Bubonic plague, which was formerly dubbed the “Black Death” because to the millions of people it killed in Europe during the Middle Ages, can be successfully treated with antibiotics provided it is detected early and the right medication is given right away.
Signs, treatment of bubonic plague
Depending on where the infection takes hold, the same bacterium that causes plague can take on multiple forms, according to the CDC. Fever, headache, chills, nausea, vomiting, and weakness are some of the symptoms. Patients also experience pain and swelling in at least one lymph node when they have the bubonic plague. The bacterial infection takes two to eight days to manifest following the bite.
The CDC states that “the bacteria multiply in a lymph node near where the bacteria entered the human body.” “The bacteria can spread to other parts of the body if the patient is not treated with appropriate antibiotics.”
The Mayo Clinic describes these enlarged lymph nodes in the groin, neck, and armpits as “buboes,” which is how this type of plague gets its name.
The Mayo Clinic describes these enlarged lymph nodes in the groin, neck, and armpits as “buboes,” which is how this type of plague gets its name.
The lung is where pneumonic plague settles. Blood is contaminated by septicemic plague.
“Plague can be a very severe disease in people, with a case-fatality ratio of 30% to 60% for the bubonic type, and is always fatal for the pneumonic kind when left untreated,” according to the World Health Organization.
The World Health Organization advises that as soon as possible diagnosis and treatment are crucial due to the effectiveness of drugs against plague.
According to a CDC report, “many rodents perish during plague epizootics, prompting hungry fleas to look for other sources of blood.” Flea bites can spread the plague to humans and animals who frequent areas where rodents have recently perished from the disease. Fleas carrying plague infections can also enter homes through dogs and cats. Exposure to flea bites can cause either septicemic or primary bubonic plague.
Additionally, humans can contract the plague by coming into contact with bacteria-containing fluids or tissues, or by coughing up plague that has infected animals or humans. According to the article, “this usually requires direct and close contact with the person or animal with pneumonic plague.”
Additionally, it’s the sole way for person-to-person transmission, which hasn’t occurred in the US since 1924.
The majority of human instances in the United States have happened in the West, in California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada, and in the Southwest, in northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado.
However, every nation except Oceania has the bacteria; cases are more prevalent in Madagascar, Peru, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “The WHO reports that cases of bubonic plague are reported almost annually in Madagascar, during the epidemic season which runs from September to April.”
According to the story, a case of the bubonic plague was discovered in Oregon in February, and a guy in New Mexico passed away from it in March. In the Oregon case, the source was probably a pet cat that was infected.
Staying safe
In a press statement, the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment outlined safety measures to prevent the bubonic plague:
- Remove any adjacent bush, rock piles, rubbish, and timber stacks to eliminate rodent hiding and breeding spots.
- Avoid handling deceased animals unless you have taken the necessary precautions, such as dousing yourself in bug repellent and placing the animal in a garbage bag with a long-handled shovel before disposing of it outside in a trash can.
- Use insect repellent that repels fleas, such as those with 20% to 30% DEET. Handle the arms, legs, sock tops, and pants.
- Avoid sharing a bed with pets and give dogs and cats frequent flea treatments. According to the statement, flea collars are ineffective.
- Keep pets away from rodent areas.
- Store pet food in rodent-proof containers.
