Apr 26, 2006 10:37 pm US/Mountain
Threat Of Bubonic Plague Concerns Health Officials
by Mike Hooker
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) ―
Health officials in Colorado said the state could soon see an upswing in the number of cases of the bubonic plague. There are already 17 confirmed cases in animals this year compared to 11 cases at this time last year.
Bubonic plague can wipe out a whole colony of prairie dogs. Infected fleas get the plague from rodents and can infect dogs and cats and spread plague to people. Health officials are concerned that this year's plague numbers are off to a quick start.
"There's a lot of rodent activity," said Lee Anne Kempton, an environmental health specialist. "We've had some good environmental conditions that have led to an increase in rodents. There's a lot of good food sources and a lot of good places for them to live. The more rodents there are, the chances of plague activity is going to be a little bit higher."
In Larimer County, tests have confirmed three animal cases of plague so far this year, including a cat, wild rabbit and a prairie dog.
The health department is urging people to protect their pets from plague because they're concerned more animal cases will mean a greater chance for people to become infected with the occasionally fatal disease.
"Yes, you can get plague," Kempton said. "People should avoid contact with wildlife in general, but especially with plague, ground squirrels, tree squirrels, prairie dogs, rabbits, chipmunks and other small rodents."
Cats are particularly susceptible to plague since they like to hunt mice. Plague can jump directly from cats to people. Dogs don't usually show symptoms but can pass the disease on to people through fleas.
"I live in Loveland but I come up here and drive up here because it's a safe place for them," Dani Burns, Dog owner
At a dog park in Fort Collins, Burns said she goes because there aren't any prairie dogs or other rodents in the park.
"This is one of the few places where you can kind of let them run around and you feel that security that there's not going to be a plague around here."
The health department said people should avoid contact with squirrels and prairie dogs to keep from getting the plague. They should also try to keep their pets away from rodents and use a flea treatment.
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