Bubonic Plague Positive in Arizona; 10 Facts, Symptoms, & Treatment

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Fleas containing bubonic plague have been found near a hiking trail in Picture Canyon, Flagstaff, Arizona.

Fleas were found to have been positive for Yersinia Pestis, the bacteria responsible for the bubonic plague. According to UPI, the state health officials and wildlife managers are monitoring the flea infestations after they found several prairie dogs dead or dying near their dens. The burrows were then tested and found out to be affected by the plague.

"It looked like something that could be associated with death due to plague," said Randy Philips, the division manager of the Coconino County Public Health Services District in an article by the Arizona Daily Sun.

The burrows near the area are being inspected and disinfected to prevent outbreak. The first testing was held in an area near Picture Canyon, north of the Wildcat Wastewater Treatment Plant in east Flagstaff and then just last week, they went to inspect more flea infestations in a wider area. The results of the tests will be known later this week.

This is not the first time Arizona had cases of Black Death. They had 64 known human cases of infection since 1950. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), there are one or two cases per year. 

"Plague activity in nature has been known to wax and wane over time, and this is influenced largely by climate conditions and rodent and flea populations," the ADHS states in their website.

The bubonic bacteria are found in rabbits, ground squirrels, rat, mice, and prairie dogs. Due to their social nature, the prairie dogs can easily be wiped out by the plague.

"If you normally see prairie dogs then next day they're gone, there is a good chance plague is coming,"  Dave Engelthaler, programming director with pathogen research nonprofit TGen North explained in an article by RT.

As prevention, the ADHS posted signs to warn visitors of the plague at the trails in Picture Canyon. They also warned people and their pets to stay away from burrows, to use insect repellents, to avoid contact with any sick or dead animals, and to practice proper hygiene by wearing gloves when cleaning and preparing game animals.

Quick facts, symptoms, and treatment of the Bubonic Plague:

1.) Humans get infected after being bitten by the disease-ridden flea.

2.) Humans can also get infected after touching an animal infected with the plague.

3.) It can take up to six days for the symptoms of the disease to show up.

4.) Symptoms include fever, headache, chills, weakness, swollen nymph nodes, and muscle aches.

5.) There is a 10 percent chance you can die from the disease when not treated right away, as reported by UPI.

6.) When the disease is caught early, it can be treated with antibiotics.

7.) Examples of antibiotics that can be used are ciprofloxacin, streptomycin, gentamicin and doxycycline, according to Medicine Net.

8.) The disease can be carried by small rodents like rats and mice, rabbits, squirrels, prairie dogs, and cats.

9.) There is no known vaccine against the plague, according to the CDC.

10.) An Oregon man lost his fingers and toes to the infection brought by the disease, according to Discovery.