A Squirrel in Colorado Has Tested Positive For The Bubonic Plague

Author Diana Beasley

July 14th, 2020 12:31 PM

Ah, 2020. The hits just keep on coming. The Bubonic Plague has resurfaced in Colorado. The “Black Death” killed an estimated 75–200 million people in the 14th century and it’s working on it’s comeback.

A squirrel in Colorado has tested positive for the bubonic plague.

How can this transfer to humans? Well,  Humans can be infected with the bubonic plague through bites from infected fleas and by direct contact with blood or tissues of infected animals such as a cough or a bite. Officials also said that dogs are not as susceptible to the plague as cats are but still may pick up and carry plague-infected rodent fleas.

“Symptoms of plague may include sudden onset of high fever, chills, headache, nausea and extreme pain and swelling of lymph nodes, occurring within two to seven days after exposure. Plague can be effectively treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should consult a physician,” according to Jefferson County Public Health.

• Vials Of Bacteria That May Cause Plague Missing From TX University

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  UNDATED PHOTO: A bubonic plague smear, prepared from a lymph removed from an adenopathic lymph node, or bubo, of a plague patient, demonstrates the presence of the Yersinia pestis bacteria that causes the plague in this undated photo. The FBI has confirmed that about 30 vials that may contain bacteria that could cause bubonic or pneumonic plague have gone missing, then found, from the Health Sciences Center at Texas Tech University January 15, 2003 in Lubbock, Texas. The plague, considered a likely bioterror agent since it's easy to make, is easily treatable with antibiotics if diagnosed early and properly. (Photo by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Getty Images)

• The Black Death

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  People praying for relief from the bubonic plague, circa 1350. Original Artwork: Designed by E Corbould, lithograph by F Howard. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

• Stretcher Bearers

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  1912: Stretcher bearers prepare to move the dead during a plague in Manchuria. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
• Plague Doctor

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  1912: A doctor wears protective clothing during an outbreak of plague in Manchuria. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

• Plague Spot

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  circa 1840: A plague spot near the London gas-works in South Lambeth. (Photo by HultonArchive/Illustrated London News/Getty Images)

• Plague Doctor

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  Circa 1656, A plague doctor in protective clothing. The beak mask held spices thought to purify air, the wand was used to avoid touching patients. Original Artwork: Engraving by Paul Furst after J Colombina (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
• Writing On Wall

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  1350, An inscription on a wall of Ashwell Church, Hertfordshire, written during the epidemic of plague that swept through Europe in the middle of the 14th century known as the Black Death. (Photo by Rischgitz/Getty Images)

• The Great Plague

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  The angel of death presides over London during the Great Plague of 1664-1666, holding an hourglass in one hand and a spear in the other. Published in 'The Intelligencer', 26th June 1665. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

• Black Death

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  Clothes infected by the Black Death being burnt in medieval Europe, circa 1340. The Black Death was thought to have been an outbreak of the bubonic plague, which killed up to half the population of Europe. An illustration from the 'Romance of Alexander' in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
• The Black Death

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  Victims of the Black Death being buried at Tournai, then part of the Netherlands, 1349. The Black Death was thought to have been an outbreak of the bubonic plague, which killed up to half the population of Europe. From the 'Chronique et Annales de Gilles le Muisit'. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

• 700th Anniversary Of The Battle Of Bannockburn

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  STIRLING, SCOTLAND - JUNE 28: A man dresses as a plague doctor at the Bannockburn Live event on June 28, 2014 in Stirling, Scotland. The 700th anniversary of the historic battle that saw the outnumbered Scots conquer the English led by Edward II in the First War of Scottish Independence. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

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Author Diana Beasley

Category:

• WJBR
• Human Interest

Tags:

ABC News,Bubonic Plague