New Mexico Hit By Plague

[QueenScoopalot]

http://kobtv.com/index.cfm?viewer=st...01&cat=4HEALTH

[kimlovescats]

YIKES!!!! Never knew fleas could cause this ... thanks for the warning!

[krazyaboutkatz]

WOW! That's scarey! I'm glad that I use advantage on my cats year round.

[QueenScoopalot]

Texas Department of Health
NEWS RELEASE
May 5, 2004

Plague Identified in Rodents in West Texas, Panhandle

The Texas Department of Health (TDH) confirmed today that Ysernia pestis, the
bacterium that causes plague, has been detected in wood rats found dead in a
rural location near the Midland-Glasscock counties border in West Texas and in
fleas from wild prairie dogs in Dallam County in the Texas Panhandle.

TDH zoonosis control officials said it is not unusual to have plague in wild
rodents in the western United States, including the western part of Texas.

"Plague occasionally cycles through the wild rodent population, sometimes
causing large die-offs of rats, prairie dogs and other rodents," said Tom
Sidwa, Austin, acting director of TDH's zoonosis control program.

Plague is usually spread by fleas that have bitten an infected rodent. The
illness can be transmitted to dogs, cats and humans. Plague in humans can be
effectively treated with antibiotics if detected early, Sidwa said. Infection
also can occur by breathing in respiratory droplets from a live animal that
has the pneumonic form of the illness.

The last recorded human case of plague in Texas was in 1993 in a Kent County
resident. An average of 13 human cases a year occur in the United States.

TDH is issuing a plague advisory to veterinarians and physicians in the West
Texas, Panhandle and South Plains areas of the state and reminding the public
to take routine precautions to reduce the chances of being bitten by an
infected flea. The public is asked to report large die-offs of rodents to
public health officials.

Personal precautions include: removing food and shelter sources for rodents
around homes, work sites and recreational areas; using safe insecticides to
kill fleas around property; applying a DEET-containing repellent to exposed
skin and clothing when in flea-inhabited areas, especially when camping or in
other rodent-inhabited areas; and treating pets with long-acting flea control
products.

TDH also advises wearing gloves if it's necessary to handle an animal that
could have plague. Because some rodents also carry hantavirus, rodent nests
in closed-in areas should be aired out before removal, and any rodent nests
and droppings should be wetted-down with a 10 percent bleach-90 percent water
solution before removing.

[Fallon]

that's pretty bad i'm glad i've used flea control on my pets.