Bubonic plague confirmed in Michigan

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday that a person in that state had the bubonic plague, one of what is now 14 such cases reported nationwide in 2015.

The department says that this is Michigan’s first plague diagnosis this year and only the 14th case nationwide. The state agency noted he or she “recently returned from Colorado in an area with reported plague activity”.

The resident, an adult female citizen from Marquette County in Michigan’s upper peninsula, is reported to be recovering. It occurs in nature among wild rodents and their fleas in rural and semi-rural areas of the western United States. The highest risk is in settings that offer food and shelter for rodents – campsites and cabins, for example. Still, this marks a dramatic increase from the average 3 cases reported per year. Illness typically begins 2-6 days after exposure. “Use insect repellent on your clothing and skin and make sure that any pets that may be along are receiving regular flea treatments”.

Symptoms of the bubonic plague include a sudden fever, headache, chills, and weakness and one or more swollen, tender, and painful lymph nodes.

The plague has three different forms. But the resident didn’t necessarily contract the disease in Michigan. The earlier that a patient seeks medical care and receives treatment, the better the chance for a full recovery. People usually are infected with then are bitten by infected fleas or have direct contact with tissues or body fluids from a sick animal. Common antibiotics are used to treat the disease but the course of the illness and its severity increases with each type of plague.