From a press release
6/11/09
The state Health Department confirmed June 4 two cases of bubonic plague in siblings from Santa Fe County.
An 8-year-old boy has died, and his 10-year-old sister is hospitalized and recovering. The Department is conducting an environmental investigation at the family’s residence to determine if any ongoing risk exists.
Plague, a bacterial disease of rodents, is generally transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas, but can also be transmitted by direct contact with infected animals, including rodents, wildlife and pets. New Mexico typically records the highest number of human cases of plague during June, July and August.
Most people become ill two to seven days after being infected with the plague bacteria, but it can be as short as a few hours for pneumonic plague. There are three forms of plague: bubonic plague which infects lymph nodes, septicemic plague which is a blood infection, and pneumonic plague which is a lung infection.
Symptoms of bubonic plague in humans include fever, painful swollen lymph nodes in the groin, armpit or neck areas, chills, and sometimes headache, vomiting and diarrhea. Septicemic plague can also cause high fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Pneumonic plague can include severe cough, difficulty breathing and bloody sputum.
With prompt diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic treatment, the fatality rate in people and pets can be greatly reduced.
To prevent cases of plague, the Department recommends:
• Avoid sick or dead rodents.
• Teach children not to play near rodent nests or burrows.
• Treat pets regularly with an effective flea control product.
• Clean up areas near the house where rodents could live.
• Keep pets from roaming and hunting.
• Sick pets should be examined promptly by a veterinarian.
Symptoms in cats are similar to those in humans. Fever, lethargy, not eating, and swollen lymph nodes (usually in the neck area) are the most common signs.
There was one human case of plague in 2008 in an Eddy County man. There were five human cases of plague in Bernalillo, San Juan, Santa Fe and Torrance counties in 2007 with one fatality. Eight human plague cases occurred in New Mexico in 2006 with three fatalities.