Colorado adult dies of plague

The first case of plague in Pueblo County, Colorado, since 2004 has died after contracting the infection, according to a Pueblo City-County Health Department press release.

The source of transmission remains under investigation, although the adult patient “may have contracted the disease from fleas on a dead rodent or other animal,” according to the release. Testing of a dead prairie dog earlier in the year confirmed the disease’s presence on the western edge of the county.

“This highlights the importance to protect yourself and your pets from the exposure of fleas that carry plague,” Sylvia Proud, MS, public health director of the Pueblo City-County Health Department, said in the release. “Residents are encouraged to call and report any unusual die-off of rabbits or prairie dogs to the Pueblo City-County Health Department ... and stay away from the die-off area.”

This death follows that of a teenager from the state’s Larimer County during late June. The teenager’s transmission of septicemic plague was likely from the fleas of a dead rodent or animal on his family’s rural property, according to a press release.

“We just need to be aware that plague is in Colorado — we do have positive animals every single year,” Jennifer House, MPH, state public health veterinarian for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, said during a June press conference. “[Plague] is caused by bacteria so it is treatable with specific antibiotics, but treatment has to begin very early in the course of the symptoms and quite often the symptoms are so nonspecific that it is very hard for individuals to know they have it.”

According to the CDC, an average of seven human plague cases are reported annually in the United States.