Squirrel tests positive for the bubonic plague in Colorado ('cause 2020, yo...)

[Dennis Donovan]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/squirrel-tests-positive-bubonic-plague-colorado/story?id=71769840


Murder squirrel

Symptoms of plague include sudden high fever, chills, headache, and nausea.

By Jon Haworth
July 14, 2020, 6:34 AM

Public health officials have announced that a squirrel in Colorado has tested positive for the bubonic plague.

The town of Morrison, Colorado, in Jefferson County, which is just west of Denver, made the startling announcement saying that the squirrel is the first case of plague in the county.

“Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and can be contracted by humans and household animals if proper precautions are not taken,” officials from Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) said in a statement released to the public.

It is possible for humans to be infected with the bubonic plague through bites from infected fleas and by direct contact with blood or tissues of infected animals such as a cough or a bite.

Jefferson County Public Health said that cats are highly susceptible to the plague from things like flea bites, a rodent scratch or bite, and ingesting an infected rodent. Cats can die if not treated quickly with antibiotics after contact with the plague.

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[TexasProgresive]

1. Plague is endemic in the SW US & easily treated with antibiotics

There are human cases reported every few years.

[Champp]

2. No worries, the Republican golfer-in-chief will wage war on squirreldom

He needs a new enemy.

[samnsara]

3. i am not a religious person at all but..the plague, fires, floods, locusts (cicadas)..

...horsemen ( the cops on horses riding thru the protesters). Wasn't there a movie about this somewhere? or a book? Or the the Mayan calendar?

[essme]

4. Normal.

Yes, animals carry it, and it's been in the US for decades that I know of.

Chances are, your outdoor cat will get it faster than you.

[Dennis Donovan]

5. Phew! (Note to self - get an outdoor cat)

I kid, I kid!

[essme]

6. Decades ago- I posted this a week or so ago? I was

working as an assistant in a vet clinic. I had to hold a cat that tested positive for the plague. It was scary and fascinating at the same time. The vet wasn't that concerned-- and he was a good Dr.

I had no idea then it was still around! But, I think we are going to see news stories about it right now because of Covid 19.

I am more worried about ticks this time of year.

[pansypoo53219]

7. the squirrel menace.