Colorado Girl’s Plague Death Is Tragic but Exceedingly Rare

[Eldorado]

Plague has been found in animals and fleas in six Colorado counties after a 10-year-old girl died in early July from the rare bacterial infection, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced.

The unnamed fourth-grader who became infected was a member of the 4-H Weaselskin Club, and had been raising hogs as part of the program. The case marked the state’s first plague death since 2015, and the second confirmed incidence of plague in Colorado this year.

Plague activity has so far been identified in the counties of San Miguel, El Paso, Boulder, Huerfano, Adams, and La Plata, where the death occurred, AnneMarie Harper, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Health’s Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response, confirmed to The Daily Beast.

Full story at Yahoo news: Link

[+Desertrat56]

16 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

Plague has been found in animals and fleas in six Colorado counties after a 10-year-old girl died in early July from the rare bacterial infection, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced.

The unnamed fourth-grader who became infected was a member of the 4-H Weaselskin Club, and had been raising hogs as part of the program. The case marked the state’s first plague death since 2015, and the second confirmed incidence of plague in Colorado this year.

Plague activity has so far been identified in the counties of San Miguel, El Paso, Boulder, Huerfano, Adams, and La Plata, where the death occurred, AnneMarie Harper, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Health’s Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response, confirmed to The Daily Beast.

Full story at Yahoo news: Link

This is common in the southwestern U.S.   Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and California get a few cases every year in the summer.   Jay Leno got famous for his "Do not play with dead animals" routine in the 70's.  There really was a public service announcement that said that.   Children seem to get it more often than adults, maybe for that reason.

[Autochthon1990]

Is it possible to vaccinate against the plague? Perhaps the southwest should add it to the childhood rollouts?

[+Desertrat56]

14 hours ago, Autochthon1990 said:

Is it possible to vaccinate against the plague? Perhaps the southwest should add it to the childhood rollouts?

What company is going to create a vaccine for 100 or fewer people a year?

[Swede]

8 minutes ago, Desertrat56 said:

What company is going to create a vaccine for 100 or fewer people a year?

A vaccine already exists and has been in use for some time.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00041848.htm

..

[Autochthon1990]

7 hours ago, Desertrat56 said:

What company is going to create a vaccine for 100 or fewer people a year?

Anybody who saw this news article and saw dollar signs from parents worried their kid will be next

[+Razman]

I don't know but i think the fleas contributed to my cats recent death. He was an older cat and he was an outdoor indoor cat . I had a way for him to come in through the garage and he would hang out in the 3 season room and the house as well. Though he had been out for a while ,  being summer . And  about a couple weeks ago he came in the 3 season room , but he wouldn't come in the house . Though he was eating and sleeping a lot out there . We didn't see scratching and he didn't make any noise , he was just real quiet and sleeping a lot. Then a few days ago he was meowing really loud out there , so we brought him in and he just hung around and didn't move a whole lot. But then we started noticing that he was not eating , so when i gave him some of the snacks he really liked , he just sat in front of them , so i knew something was really wrong and we then took him to the vet ER . He passed on the way , as that ER is quite a ways from us.They said it looked like Anemia or something from the fleas  .  I feel really bad that i didn't see the signs and catch it sooner , it's been really bothering me . But he never really showed any signs like a cat usually would til the last couple days. Still i feel like it was our job to look out for him and we missed it.

[+Desertrat56]

27 minutes ago, razman said:

I don't know but i think the fleas contributed to my cats recent death. He was an older cat and he was an outdoor indoor cat . I had a way for him to come in through the garage and he would hang out in the 3 season room and the house as well. Though he had been out for a while ,  being summer . And  about a couple weeks ago he came in the 3 season room , but he wouldn't come in the house . Though he was eating and sleeping a lot out there . We didn't see scratching and he didn't make any noise , he was just real quiet and sleeping a lot. Then a few days ago he was meowing really loud out there , so we brought him in and he just hung around and didn't move a whole lot. But then we started noticing that he was not eating , so when i gave him some of the snacks he really liked , he just sat in front of them , so i knew something was really wrong and we then took him to the vet ER . He passed on the way , as that ER is quite a ways from us.They said it looked like Anemia or something from the fleas  .  I feel really bad that i didn't see the signs and catch it sooner , it's been really bothering me . But he never really showed any signs like a cat usually would til the last couple days. Still i feel like it was our job to look out for him and we missed it.

There are inexpensive products you can buy to keep your pets flea free.  I'm sorry for your loss.

[+Desertrat56]

On 7/24/2021 at 12:45 AM, Autochthon1990 said:

Is it possible to vaccinate against the plague? Perhaps the southwest should add it to the childhood rollouts?

Like is mentioned more than once, it is rare.  No pharmaceutical company is going to waste resources developing a vaccine for a bacteria that infects less than 20 people a year in the U.S.   The most common, successful remedy is to reduce the flea and mouse population, as well as teaching kids to not touch  dead animals and to wash their hands often.

[Doug1066]

There is an infected prairie dog colony on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, within yards of a housing development  in the City of Denver.

Doug