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Heads up if you live in the state of Colorado, because a resident there has contracted the plague.
In a statement published on Tuesday, the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment (PDPHE) “confirmed a human case of plague in a Pueblo County resident.”
Yes, this is the same plague, caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria, that is referred to as “The Black Death” in history books and wiped out around half of Europe’s population in the 14th century.
Typical symptoms include inflamed pus-filled lymph nodes with pain, sudden fever and chills, severe headache, muscle aches, weakness, nausea, vomiting and a possible a pneumonic infection which can be spread through the air. Pneumonic plague is always fatal if left untreated.
On the plus side, with this now being the 21st century, it is now treatable with antibiotics.
The PDPHE did not specify which type of plague their resident has contracted, but did make several recommendations to protect people from contracting it.
1. Eliminate places around your home that rodents can hide and breed.
2. Avoid contact with dead animals.
3. Use insect repellent that contains 20% to 30% DEET.
4. Do not let pets sleep in your bed.
5. Treat your dogs and cats for fleas.
6. Do not allow pets to hunt or roam in rodent areas.
7. Keep pet food in rodent-proof containers.
“If you develop symptoms of plague, see a health care provider immediately,” said Alicia Solis, program manager of the Office of Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness at PDPHE, adding that it “can be treated successfully with antibiotics, but an infected person must be treated promptly to avoid serious complications or death.”
In February, health officials in the state of Oregon discovered a rare case of bubonic plague in a person. It was the first time a resident of Oregon had contracted it since 2015.
This latest plague news out of Colorado – a squirrel tested positive for the bubonic plague in 2020 – also comes on the heels of researchers learning, according to New Scientist, that “DNA evidence from tombs in Sweden and Denmark suggests major plague outbreaks were responsible for the Neolithic decline in northern Europe.”