Thursday, June 04, 2009
Public Advisory: Squirrel Tests Positive for Plague in Longmont
Contact: Joe Malinowski, Environmental Health Division Manager, Boulder County Public Health, 303.441.1197
Longmont, Colo. - A squirrel collected on June 1 by City of Longmont Animal Control on Buffalo Court in Longmont has tested positive for plague. The neighborhood area has been posted with signs listing precautionary measures to avoid plague.
This is the first time plague activity has been confirmed in Boulder County this season, and public health officials want to remind residents how to protect themselves against plague “We want people to understand what steps are necessary to protect themselves, their family members, and their pets,” said Nisha Alden, Boulder County Public Health’s (BCPH) communicable disease division manager. “Because plague is most commonly transmitted by fleas, taking steps to avoid flea exposures will be most helpful in preventing this disease.”
Public health officials recommend the following precautions to reduce the likelihood of being exposed to plague:
· AVOID FLEAS! Protect pets with flea powder, and keep pets on a leash and 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 pants cuffs into socks to prevent flea bites.
· AVOID all contact with wild rodents, including squirrels; do not feed or handle them.
· DO NOT TOUCH sick or dead animals.
· 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.
Plague occurs naturally in Colorado. It 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 squirrels, prairie dogs, and other wild rodents bite a human.
Household pets, such as dogs and especially cats, can either get plague or carry infected fleas home to their owners. In rare instances, plague can be transmitted to people from cats sick with plague. “Keeping cats indoors is the best way to protect them from getting plague,” said Carol McInnes, BCPH environmental health specialist. “In addition, pet owners should discuss with their veterinarians the best way to protect pets from fleas.”
Symptoms include high fever, extreme fatigue, and painful swollen lymph nodes (called bubos). If you observe these symptoms in a person or pet, it is important to contact your healthcare provider or veterinarian immediately. Plague can be treated with antibiotics, but this treatment is most successful when the disease can be diagnosed quickly.
For more information about plague, please visit the BCPH web site at www.BoulderCountyVector.org, or call the Health Alert Hotline at 303-441-1460.
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Barbara HalpinBoulder County Public Information Officer
BHALPIN@bouldercounty.org
303-441-1622
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