Officials say plague could be spreading in higher elevations
By Bob Christie
Associated Press Writer
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.14.2007
A woman in Apache County is battling an infection of the plague, and state health officials are warning the public that the disease appears to be on an upward trend in the state and more cases are likely.
The human case is the first reported in the state since 2000, said Craig Levy, vector-borne-disease program manager with the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The human case follows the discovery of an outbreak of the disease in prairie dogs in Flagstaff last month, Levy said Thursday. More importantly, the distance between the cases indicate the disease has become more active in the state's higher elevations.
"We know we have some plague issues now in two north counties, which makes us think we may be getting into another one of these plague cycles, which means it may be popping up from time to time," Levy said. "What we don't want people to think is that it is just localized in two areas. The point is, plague activity can show up in any of the high areas of Arizona."
The disease is confined to the state's higher elevations, generally about 4,500 feet, so the state's desert areas are not generally affected.
The state has had 48 cases of human plague in the past 30 years, with eight fatalities.
Since the state's last human case in 2000, a drought and high summer temperatures have kept the disease at low levels.
Arizona health officials have been particularly wary about a plague outbreak because of greater activity in New Mexico and other nearby states in the past year, Levy said.
Plague can be contracted from fleas, rodents or other infected animals, and people were being warned to avoid contact with animal burrows and stay away from dead animals. Hunters and others who work with game should take precautions such as wearing rubber gloves while skinning animals, and cooking meat thoroughly to kill any plague, or a related disease known as tularemia or rabbit fever.
"Pets basically turn into flea buses, essentially," Levy said.
Privacy laws prevented Levy from releasing much specific information about the Apache County woman who is ill with the plague.
He said she began having symptoms early this month and the case was confirmed through laboratory testing Wednesday.
Generally, people ill with the disease require hospitalization.
Plague killed millions in Europe in the Middle Ages, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counts 10 to 15 human cases a year in the United States.
Symptoms in humans generally appear within two to six days following exposure and include fever, chills, headache, weakness, muscle pain and swollen lymph glands in the groin, armpits or limbs. The disease can become septicemic, which means it spreads through the bloodstream. It also can become pneumonic, which affects the lungs.
The disease can be spread from human to human when it is in the pneumonic stage. Cases are treatable with antibiotics, but the CDC reports that up to 50 percent are fatal if the disease causes pneumonia.
By Bob Christie
Associated Press Writer
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.14.2007
A woman in Apache County is battling an infection of the plague, and state health officials are warning the public that the disease appears to be on an upward trend in the state and more cases are likely.
The human case is the first reported in the state since 2000, said Craig Levy, vector-borne-disease program manager with the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The human case follows the discovery of an outbreak of the disease in prairie dogs in Flagstaff last month, Levy said Thursday. More importantly, the distance between the cases indicate the disease has become more active in the state's higher elevations.
"We know we have some plague issues now in two north counties, which makes us think we may be getting into another one of these plague cycles, which means it may be popping up from time to time," Levy said. "What we don't want people to think is that it is just localized in two areas. The point is, plague activity can show up in any of the high areas of Arizona."
The disease is confined to the state's higher elevations, generally about 4,500 feet, so the state's desert areas are not generally affected.
The state has had 48 cases of human plague in the past 30 years, with eight fatalities.
Since the state's last human case in 2000, a drought and high summer temperatures have kept the disease at low levels.
Arizona health officials have been particularly wary about a plague outbreak because of greater activity in New Mexico and other nearby states in the past year, Levy said.
Plague can be contracted from fleas, rodents or other infected animals, and people were being warned to avoid contact with animal burrows and stay away from dead animals. Hunters and others who work with game should take precautions such as wearing rubber gloves while skinning animals, and cooking meat thoroughly to kill any plague, or a related disease known as tularemia or rabbit fever.
They also should take steps to prevent their pets from roaming, and to treat their pets with flea killers, because they can bring infected fleas home.
"Pets basically turn into flea buses, essentially," Levy said.
Privacy laws prevented Levy from releasing much specific information about the Apache County woman who is ill with the plague.
He said she began having symptoms early this month and the case was confirmed through laboratory testing Wednesday.
Generally, people ill with the disease require hospitalization.
Plague killed millions in Europe in the Middle Ages, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counts 10 to 15 human cases a year in the United States.
Symptoms in humans generally appear within two to six days following exposure and include fever, chills, headache, weakness, muscle pain and swollen lymph glands in the groin, armpits or limbs. The disease can become septicemic, which means it spreads through the bloodstream. It also can become pneumonic, which affects the lungs.
The disease can be spread from human to human when it is in the pneumonic stage. Cases are treatable with antibiotics, but the CDC reports that up to 50 percent are fatal if the disease causes pneumonia.
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