Human case of plague, the historic Black Death, confirmed in Colorado

Officials in Pueblo County, Colorado, have confirmed that a person has contracted the plague. The bacterium that causes the disease is spread by fleas and flea-carrying animals, mainly rodents.

The plague infects about seven humans each year in the U.S., primarily in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, California, Oregon and Nevada, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website.

The Pueblo County Department of Public Health and Environment announced its investigation of the plague case Friday.

Neither Pueblo County officials nor the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have identified the patient or specified how or when that person contracted the plague.

“The state is continuing to communicate with that person and their family. Hopefully those conversations and interviews will shed a little bit more light for us to be able to get info out,” PDPHE Public Information Officer Trysten Garcia told The Pueblo Chieftain.

While the plague is mainly spread by rodents, it can also travel via pets and people through infected flea bites or droplet transmission from an infected animal or person.

Historically, the plague bacterium was the culprit behind the 14th-century Black Death pandemic that killed millions across North Africa and Eurasia. The last urban plague epidemic in the U.S. took place in 1924 and 1925, when rats from arriving steamships spread the disease in Los Angeles, the CDC said.

PDPHE recommends that county residents and others eliminate rodent hiding spots, use bug spray, ban pets from sleeping in human beds, treat pets regularly for fleas, keep pet food in rodent-proof containers, avoid contact with dead animals and ban pets from hunting or wandering in rodent-heavy areas like prairie dog colonies.

Plague symptoms include muscle aches, severe headaches, vomiting, fever and chills, and swollen lymph nodes also known as buboes. 

“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,” PDPHE Office of Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness Program Manager Alicia Solis said.