If you thought the summer COVID surge was the worst of our worries, think again. A human plague case has surfaced in Colorado—its first since 2021. The state hasn’t reported a death from the disease in nearly a decade. And while the plague is considered extremely rare, this new occurrence comes on the heels of other recently reported human plague illnesses in Oregon and New Mexico.
Nicknamed “Black Death,” the notorious bubonic plague triggered a pandemic in the Middle Ages, killing an estimated 50 million Europeans in its wake. Though an outbreak of this magnitude hasn’t happened in 100 years, health officials are now urging Americans to stay vigilant as new cases of the deadly disease continue to crop up in different parts of the country.
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In a July 5 press release, public health officials from Pueblo County, Colorado, announced that the agency is investigating a case of human plague in the area. Just last fall, a resident in southwest Colorado died from the plague. Each year, an average of seven human plague cases are confirmed in Arizona, California, Colorado, and New Mexico, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"We advise all individuals to protect themselves and their pets from plague," said Alicia Solis, program manager of the Office of Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness at the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment (PDPHE).
According to the CDC, the plague is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria and is transmitted via fleas and rodents like rats and squirrels. Consequently, humans can contract the disease by handling infected animals, including house cats.
"Since its introduction 120 years ago [to North America], it has become endemic in ground squirrels and rodents in the rural Southwestern U.S.," epidemiology professor Timothy Brewer, MD, told Fox News Digital.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports 1,000 to 2,000 global cases of human plague annually. On its own, the plague has a 30 to 60 percent fatality rate. But if it's caught early and medicine is administered, most patients recover.
“Although it can be a serious illness, it’s usually easily treatable with antibiotics as long as it’s caught early. So now it’s a very treatable disease. It shouldn’t create the fear that people had in the Middle Ages of the Black Death,” Dan Barouch, PhD, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, told CNN.
“If anyone develops symptoms consistent with the plague—usually the initial symptoms are fever, chills and swollen lymph nodes—then seek medical attention, because at the early stages, the plague is easily treatable with antibiotics,” he assured.
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As for prevention, your best course of action is safeguarding your home and pets from wild animals, especially rodents.
"One way to do this is to ensure the home is rodent-proof by eliminating places where rodents may enter and hide," certified infection control practitioner Erica Susky said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Treat pets promptly if they have a flea infestation and seek veterinary treatment if a pet becomes ill.”
Solis with the PDPHE also suggests removing nearby brush, rock piles, trash, and piles of lumber, which are sometimes breeding grounds for plague-infected critters. To prevent flea bites, you should apply insect repellent that contains 20 to 30 percent DEET, she added.
Speaking directly to pet owners, Solis says to store food in rodent-proof containers and resist the urge to let your animals sleep in bed with you. Additionally, the strongest anti-flea protection is treatment, not flea collars.
“If you develop symptoms of plague, see a health care provider immediately. Plague can be treated successfully with antibiotics, but an infected person must be treated promptly to avoid serious complications or death,” she said.
