Olde Hornet
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Scientists issue critical warning after US city confirms case of serious disease spread by fleas: 'An infected person must be treated promptly'
"A large increase in the number of fleas ... could have substantial effects on plague dynamics in the western United States as the climate warms."
A person in Colorado has been infected with the plague, CNN reported. Although the rare disease that wiped out millions of people in Europe during the Middle Ages has mostly been eradicated in humans, there are still rare human cases, as this recent one showed.
What's happening?
The plague, also known as the "Black Death," is transmitted by flea bites and spread among wild rodents. Worldwide, there were 3,248 human plague cases reported between 2010 to 2015, per the World Health Organization. Most of them were in Peru, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Madagascar.As the name "Black Death" implies, the plague is an extremely serious disease. Though there are currently no commercially available plague vaccines, the disease can be treated if it is caught early enough.
"Plague can be treated successfully with antibiotics, but an infected person must be treated promptly to avoid serious complications or death," Alicia Solis, program manager of the Office of Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness at the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a news release.