Follow
Prairie dogs near Flagstaff, Arizona are tested positive for Bubonic Plague.
Coconino health officials are warning people to stay away from prairie dogs and avoid dead and dying ones.
Prairie dogs are generally sighted near open fields, parks and are very cute, they are harmless animals.
The parasite found in the flea is Yersinia pestis, which is responsible for the Black Death which swept over 1/3 rd of the human population in middle ages.
Public health official’s noticed prairie dogs dying in the burrow and they found some dead bodies.
They also noticed fleas in the burrow. When they tested the fleas the result was positive for the bubonic bacteria or Y. pestis.
These fleas are carried by the prairie dogs which infect them by biting their flesh. They jump from one dog to the other and will remain on the dead body for a long time so the health officials are warning people to stay away from dying or dead animal.
There are no cases reported of humans contracting the infection.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, humans contract the infection after being bitten by the flea carrying the infection or by dealing with the animal carrying the flea.
The symptoms are visible within two to six days after contracting the infection.
Some of the symptoms are fever, headache, nausea, weakness, pain or swelling in neck and armpit.
Once humans contract the infection then it will spread very easily.
