Plague Continues to Appear In Boulder County
Contact: Chana Goussetis, Health Communications
Specialist, 303-441-1457
Boulder County – Less than two weeks after the last
sample was confirmed positive for plague, two more samples have tested
positive for the disease in Boulder County, bringing the total of
positive samples so far this season to seven. The samples confirmed this
week were fleas taken from prairie dog holes found near the Lake Valley
subdivision north of Boulder.
Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) officials will be
posting the area and distributing information door-to-door early
Thursday. They are also working with the local homeowners association to
distribute information via newsletter and e-mail.
Twenty-eight samples have been submitted to Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment for testing so far this
season. This jump in activity is a reminder that residents must continue
to take steps to avoid flea exposures, particularly for their pets.
“Plague is most commonly transmitted by fleas, so taking
steps to avoid flea exposures will be most helpful in preventing this
disease,” said Heath Harmon, epidemiologist for BCPH. “Because Boulder
County’s residents are so active outdoors, and often bring along their
pets, it is important that everyone understands the risks.”
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 spread to people from cats sick with the disease. “Keeping cats
indoors is the best way to protect them from getting plague,” said Joe
Malinowski, BCPH Consumer Protection Program Coordinator.
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. Using flea powder and
keeping pets out of wild rodent habitats can provide additional
protection.
-
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. 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). The disease can be treated with
antibiotics, but this treatment is most successful when the disease is
diagnosed quickly.
For more information about plague:
- Call the BCPH Health Alert Hotline at
303-441-1460.
- Or call the Colorado Public Health Information Line at
1-877-462-2911.
Additional resources:
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