CNN
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A case of plague has been confirmed in an individual in Pueblo County, Colorado, officers stated Tuesday.
The case was flagged Friday from preliminary check outcomes, and the potential supply of the an infection continues to be beneath investigation, the Pueblo Division of Public Well being and Atmosphere stated in a news release.
The plague is an infectious illness attributable to bacterium, Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas. Though it’s best identified for “The Black Demise,” an outbreak that killed tens of millions of Europeans through the Center Ages, the micro organism circulates naturally amongst wild rodents and rarely infects people right now, in accordance with the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
Plague is transmitted to people by bites from contaminated fleas, contact with contaminated animals or inhaling droplets from the cough of an contaminated individual or animal.
Anybody who develops signs of plague ought to get medical consideration instantly, the CDC says. Typical signs embody sudden fever and chills, extreme headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and, generally, swollen lymph nodes with ache.
“Plague could be handled efficiently with antibiotics, however an contaminated individual have to be handled promptly to keep away from critical issues or loss of life,” stated Alicia Solis, program supervisor of the Workplace of Communicable Illness and Emergency Preparedness on the Pueblo Division of Public Well being and Atmosphere, within the information launch.
“We advise all people to guard themselves and their pets from plague,” the division says.
One approach to keep away from an infection is to remove locations the place wild rodents can exist round people akin to brush, rock piles, trash and piles of lumber round houses, garages, sheds and recreation areas, in accordance with the division.
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Taking precautions round pets also can scale back threat of transmission. The division suggests treating canine and cats for fleas, preserving pet meals in rodent-proof containers and never letting pets roam in rodent areas or sleep in mattress with you.
From 1970 to 2022, there have been 67 reported circumstances of plague in Colorado, according to the CDC. Worldwide, 3,248 human plague circumstances have been reported from 2010 to 2015, mostly within the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Peru, the World Health Organization discovered.
“A plague vaccine is not out there in the USA,” the CDC says. “New plague vaccines are in improvement however aren’t anticipated to be commercially out there within the quick future.”