Colorado health officials have confirmed a human case of bubonic plague in Pueblo County. The individual infected with bubonic plague was hospitalized on July 5. It is not known where the infected individual contracted the plague at this time.
According to Pueblo Public Information Officer Trysten Garcia, they are conducting tests to determine the cause of the infection while staying in contact with the infected individual’s family. “Hopefully those conversations and interviews will shed a little bit more light for us to be able to get info out,” Garcia said.
If left untreated, bubonic plague can be fatal.
What is Bubonic Plague?
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Bubonic plague is an infectious disease that killed between 25 and 50 million people in “the Black Death,” a 14th century pandemic. The plague is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis). The bacteria occur naturally in wild rodents, fleas, and other small mammals.
Y. pestis is one of three forms of plague: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. Bubonic is the most common infection of the three. It’s caused by a bite from an infected flea where the bacterium travels through the lymphatic system to the closest lymph node. Once it reaches the lymph node, it replicates itself and becomes painful and inflamed. The infection can also turn the lymph nodes into open sores filled with pus.
The infection causes painful, swollen lymph nodes, and can be found in small mammals and fleas. The name refers to “buboes,” spots of swelling which develop because of the disease.
Bubonic Plague Occurs More Than You Think
The 14th century disease, also known as “the Black Death,” is notorious for killing millions in Europe. Nowadays, the plague is easily treated with antibiotics.
Although the plague is easily treatable, it does not reduce the number of people who become infected with it. Each year, there are from 200 to 700 reported cases of bubonic plague in the world, while the U.S. has around a dozen cases. However, these numbers don’t take into account the undetected cases that occur each year.
Most cases in the U.S. have occurred in northern Arizona, southern Colorado, northern New Mexico, and in the west (California and Oregon) and far west part of Nevada. Last year, a man in New Mexico contracted the disease and unfortunately succumbed to the infection.
How Is It Transmitted?
Yersinia pestis is transferred through bites from fleas, infected animal corpses, and the inhalation of respiratory droplets or small particles. The infection spreads when the infected fleas bite these animals and they then come into contact with humans.
If an infected person with pneumonic plague leaves droplets or other particles on surfaces, it can transfer to an uninfected person through those bodily fluids. However, it’s not spread directly from person to person.
Officials are also cautioning people to be extra careful when handling sick or dead animals.
Symptoms To Watch Out For
When a person is infected, there’s an incubation period that lasts around a day, or sometimes up to a week.
Symptoms include high fever, chills, muscle aches, vomiting, nausea, and severe headaches, along with swollen and painful lymph nodes. The buboes can occur in the armpits, neck, and groin area and vary in size. Some buboes are less than half an inch, while others can be up to four inches in diameter.
How You Can Prevent Plague
Officials are urging residents to seek help if they develop symptoms and to follow the steps on their website to protect themselves and their pets.
If a person lives in an area where the plague is known to occur, then it’s important to reduce the chances of rodents entering residences, and other places people might come in contact with them (like gyms, workplaces, and so on). To reduce rodent infestations, pet food must be kept in storage containers, and people should clean up piles of rock, firewood, and brush.
It’s also essential to wear gloves when handling sick or dead animals. Or you can contact your local health department if you have any questions or need help removing a dead animal from your residence. Do not allow your pets to sleep with you, and keep fleas off your pets!
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