A northeast Arizona man has contracted bubonic plague and health agencies are urging Four Corners residents to help prevent the spread of the disease.The Apache County, Ariz., man who contracted the disease began showing symptoms in late September, the Navajo Nation said, including a 103-degree fever, chills, diarrhea and groin tenderness.
The man was responding to treatment and doing well Monday afternoon, said Jenny Notah, a spokeswoman for Navajo Area Indian Health Service.
The Navajo Nation also said plague likely killed a number of prairie dogs east of Flagstaff, Ariz. There have been no recent reports of plague cases on the Utah side of the Four Corners.
Humans can contract plague by touching bodily fluids of infected animals or after being bitten by fleas that have contracted it from infected rodents, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2006, the disease was found in rodents in Mesa Verde National Park and Natural Bridges National Monument. No humans were infected, but Natural Bridges closed a campground until it determined there was no threat. Both venues were fully open Monday.
2 comments:
I was just talking about plague and saw your story come up. Interesting, but glad it Americans that have to deal with it, not us.
my story is on www.feral.typepad.com
Post a Comment