- Weld County health officials are asking people who visit
or live around Pawnee National Grasslands to look out for signs of the
plague after finding the disease in six dead prairie dogs.
-
- A researcher observing prairie dogs in the park found
the infested colony at the northwest intersection of Weld County roads
96 and 67, northwest of Briggsdale.
-
- Six of the eight dead prairie dogs handed over to the
Center for Disease Control and Prevention tested positive for the bubonic
plague. Officials think the other two also have the disease but need to
do more tests, said Sara Evans, consumer protection supervisor for the
Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment.
-
- Though humans have a low risk of being infected with
the plague, prairie dogs are highly susceptible because the disease is
carried through fleas, Evans said.
-
- On average, 13 cases of the plague in humans are reported
in the United States each year. Most occur in the southwestern states.
Humans and their pets can be infected when a prairie dog with the plague
dies and the fleas look for another host.
-
- "If a dog, cat or human happens to be nearby, they
will hitch a ride and feed on them," Evans said.
-
- The plague can be fatal, but if it is found in time doctors
can treat it with antibiotics. The later it is found, the longer it can
take to recover, Evans said.
-
- Millions of Europeans died from the plague in the Middle
Ages when their living areas were inhabited by flea-infested rats.
-
- The last known plague epidemic in the United States occurred
in Los Angeles in 1924-1925.
-
- The last known case of the plague infecting a person
in Weld County occurred a little more than 10 years ago, Evans said. Investigators
believe a University of Northern Colorado student caught the disease while
playing baseball in a Fort Collins field where rodents were present, she
said.
-
- Over the past few years, Weld county officials have suspected
the plague when they have seen populations of prairie dogs die off in areas
near Fort Lupton, Hudson and Pierce, Evans said. However, without animals
to test, officials could not confirm that the plague was responsible, she
said.
-
- The plague has different effects on animals. For example,
dogs, cattle and other livestock may get infected with the plague but rarely
develop any illness. Cats and rodents, however, become very sick and will
die without treatment.
-
- Residents should watch rodent populations near their
homes and report any sudden die-off to the health department, Evans said.
-
- http://www.greeleytrib.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040612/NEWS/106120035&rs=2
|
