Season’s First Positive Plague Test Confirmed

May 11, 2006, Boulder County, CO — A prairie dog carcass that was submitted for testing Monday has been confirmed to be positive for plague. This is the first positive sample for 2006. The prairie dog was collected from an open space colony east of Highway 36 and north of Longhorn Drive in Boulder.

Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) officials are working with the City of Boulder to post warning signs adjacent to the property, although there is little public access to this area. Several businesses located just west of the property have also been notified.

Although this is the first positive test result for plague this season, BCPH staff is also currently investigating a plague die-off in another area of the county. This recent activity is a reminder that residents need to continue to be aware of the risk of plague and how to protect themselves.

“Plague occurs naturally in Colorado, and we want people to understand what steps are necessary to protect themselves, their family members, and their pets,” said Heath Harmon, an epidemiologist for BCPH. “Because plague is most commonly transmitted by fleas, taking steps to avoid flea exposures will be most helpful in preventing this disease.”

“The rain and cooler temperatures are likely to allow the fleas to live longer, and thus draw them out more to search for new food hosts,” said Joe Malinowski, BCPH Consumer Protection Program Coordinator. “So, it is especially important that visitors are aware of the risk and the appropriate precautions to take.”

Although dogs rarely become ill from plague, they, like other household pets, can carry infected fleas home to their owners or other household pets, particularly cats. In rare instances, plague can be transmitted to people from cats sick with the disease. “Keeping cats indoors is the best way to protect them from getting plague,” said Malinowski.

In 2005, 65 total specimens from Boulder County were submitted for plague testing. Of those, 12 samples were confirmed positive. As of May 10, 7 specimens have been submitted for testing in 2006.

Public health officials recommend the following precautions to reduce the likelihood of being exposed to plague:

AVOID FLEAS! The best protection for pets, especially cats, is to keep them indoors. Additional protection can be provided by using flea powder and keeping pets out of wild rodent habitats.
STAY OUT of areas that wild rodents inhabit. If you enter areas with wild rodents, wear insect repellent and tuck pant cuffs into socks to prevent fleabites.
AVOID all contact with wild rodents, including squirrels; do not feed or handle them.
NEVER TOUCH sick or dead animals with your bare hands. If an animal must be moved, use a long-handled shovel to place it in a garbage bag, and place the bag in an outdoor garbage can.
PREVENT rodent infestations around your house: clear plants and materials away from outside walls, reduce access to food items, and set traps.
TREAT known rodent sites around your home with flea powder or a suitable insecticide.
SEE A PHYSICIAN if you become ill with a high fever and/or swollen lymph node. Plague is a treatable illness.
SEE A VETERINARIAN if your pet becomes ill with a high fever and/or an abscess (open sore). Pets with plague can transmit the illness to humans.

Plague is an infectious disease spread by fleas to wild rodents and other small mammals, such as squirrels, rats, prairie dogs, and rabbits. Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague and occurs after a bite from an infected flea. Plague can spread to humans when infected fleas from ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and other wild rodents bite a human.

Symptoms of plague include high fever, extreme fatigue, and painful swollen lymph nodes (bubos). If you observe these symptoms in a person or pet, it is important to contact your health care provider or veterinarian immediately. Plague can be treated with antibiotics, but this treatment is most successful when the disease is diagnosed quickly.

For more information about plague, please visit the BCPH website at www.BoulderCountyHealth.org, call the BCPH Health Alert Hotline at 303-441-1460, or call the Colorado Public Health Information Line at 1-877-462-2911.

For more information:

Plague, Disease Fact Sheet