Woman treated for plague; safety precautions explained

In late August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a rabbit from the Dowdy Lake Campground area at Red Feather Lakes tested positive for plague. Additional confirmatory tests are planned, said Larimer County health department spokeswoman Ann Watson.

The search for plague started after a 54-year-old Weld County woman become ill on Aug. 16 and was hospitalized on Aug. 22 for treatment of plague. The patient had hiked and camped in the Red Feather Lakes area the weekend before becoming ill.

The health department is urging residents and visitors in Larimer County to take precautions against rodents that may be spreading plague through their fleas. Plague-causing bacteria may be present in prairie dogs, deer mice, rock and ground squirrels, wood rats, wild rabbits, chipmunks and other rodents.

Health director Dr. Adrienne LeBailly said plague was also confirmed in two pet cats in the county. One cat was from the northern area of the county near Cherokee Park Road (West County Road 80) and County Road 82E. The other cat was from the Masonville area. In 1999, a fatal human case of plague occurred in the Red Feather Lakes area.

John Pape, an epidemiologist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said the last human case of plague in Colorado was reported in 2000 and involved a 7-year old from Montrose County.

Plague is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas or by the direct exposure to oral and respiratory secretions of an infected animal. Cats can transmit the disease to humans through bites, scratches, or droplets from their coughs. Insecticide powders and shampoos may protect pets from the fleas; however, they will not protect a cat that consumes an infected animal. Dogs usually do not become ill from the plague. However, dogs will carry the infected fleas into homes where they may come in contact with humans.

Following are precautions that should be taken by people who live in or visit rural sections of the state:

• Do not attempt to hold, feed or entice any rodent into the yard or onto the back porch or patio.
• Avoid contact with all sick and dead rodents. Look for the presence of blowflies or dead animal smell as evidence of animals that have died from the disease. Report the areas where such animals are found to local health departments.
• Watch cats for plague symptoms such as lack of appetite, fever, lethargy, a swollen neck, coughing or difficulty breathing. Seek professional veterinary care for such animals. Use gloves and face protection when handling suspiciously sick pets.
• When hiking, treat pants, socks, shoe tops, arms and legs with insect repellents.
• Eliminate potential rodent shelters, such as piles of lumber, broken cement, trash and weeds around the home or recreational cabin.
• Make certain that houses and outbuildings are as rodent-proof as possible. Keep foundations in good repair and eliminate overhanging trees from roof and windows.
• Keep all dogs leashed, or better yet, leave them at home when hiking or camping.
• Insecticide powders or shampoos should be used on cats and dogs every few days while in plague-infested areas.

While human plague is uncommon, signs of infection in humans include sudden onset of fever and chills, severe headache, muscular aches, nausea, vomiting and a general feeling of systemic illness. With bubonic plague, there is extreme pain and swelling of the lymph nodes nearest the site of the flea bite, generally the groin or armpit regions. In plague pneumonia, severe coughing with a frothy, bloody phlegm, shortness of breath and labored breathing chest pain occur. The pneumonia progresses for two to four days and may cause respiratory failure. Only the pneumonic form of plague can be transmitted from person to person. Treatment with antibiotics is effective during the early stages of disease.

For more information contact the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment at 498-6775, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment at 303-692-2700 or call a private physician.