Human Plague Case Confirmed, Health Officials Urge Prompt Treatment
The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment (PDPHE) in Colorado confirmed a human Bubonic plague case, Fox News reported.
A confirmed case of the plague was reported in Pueblo County, Colorado, according to health officials from PDPHE, Fox News reported. The PDPHE, in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, is currently investigating the case. Details about the individual who contracted the plague have not been disclosed, but health officials are urging the public to take precautions to protect themselves and their pets from potential exposure to this serious bacterial infection.
In Colorado, plague case confirmed in human, health officials say: ‘Must be treated promptly’ https://t.co/XJRCQ5t5qO
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 5, 2024
Rats likely carried the bacterium Yersinia pestis, the cause of the plague, to North America on ships from South Asia around 1900, the outlet reported. Dr. Timothy Brewer, a UCLA professor of medicine and epidemiology, stated the disease has since become endemic in ground squirrels and rodents in the rural Southwestern U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the plague can affect people of all ages, with approximately half of the cases occurring in individuals aged 12 to 45.
Globally, the World Health Organization reports between 1,000 and 2,000 cases of plague annually, with the U.S. averaging about seven cases per year. If untreated, the plague can be fatal in 30% to 60% of cases, but with antibiotics, the fatality rate drops to below 5%, Fox News reported. (Read more from “Human Plague Case Confirmed, Health Officials Urge Prompt Treatment” HERE)
