Plague Kills Second Person in Colorado

There were eight reported cases in Colorado last year, according to the state Department of Health; this is the second case so far in 2015.

Oftentimes, the Pueblo Country Health Department reports, plague incidences are preceded by mass animal die-offs.

The plague is serious – if left untreated, it can have a death rate of 50 percent or higher, Hooper says.

Cases of the plague are rare, and deaths are even rarer.

The dog-to-human transmission was unexpected, according to Colorado’s Tri-County Health Department.

Pueblo City Council Health Department officials announced recently that an unidentified person has succumbed to the suspected deadly bacteria septicemic plague which results in a risky level of blood infection. About seven people are diagnosed with a form of the plague in the United States every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sylvia Proud, the county’s public health director, extended her deepest condolences to the victim’s family and explained this is a reminder for people to protect themselves and their pets from fleas.

The bacteria, Yersinia pestis, is transmitted between animals and to human through infected fleas. Colorado’s last previous plague death was in 2004.

A 16-year-old star baseball player died of the plague in June.

Mosquitoes in both the city and county have tested positive for West Nile and there has been one confirmed case of a human getting the virus. “Now these creatures are coming out in the daytime, and the people who are getting exposed are those working outside”.

It has been more than 10 years since Pueblo County has had a human contract the plague.

Simply touching the carcass of an infected rodent can likewise cause the spread of the disease through the skin, while other symptoms include fatigue, chills, and severe confusion.

The latest case is also believed to have been the same type.

Carlton said anyone who encounters any unusual die-off of rabbits or prairie dogs should stay away from the area and contact the health department at 583-4307.

With prompt diagnosis and immediate administration of antibiotics, patients can recover, Feld said.