New Mexico Tot Dies of Plague

Recently, quite a bit was made of the fact that monkeys in Colorado had died of plague.

Here is a case of a three-year-old human dying of plague here in New Mexico, but not much has been said about it nationally.

A 3-year-old East Mountains boy has died of bubonic plague, marking the first fatal case of the disease in New Mexico this year, the state Health Department has confirmed.

"Our sympathies go out to this young boy's family and friends," C. Mack Sewell, the department's state epidemiologist, said Thursday night. "Avoiding sick or dead rodents and teaching your children not to play near rodent nests are two ways to protect yourself from the plague."

The city of Albuquerque's Environmental Health Department and the state Health Department are conducting an environmental investigation to determine if there is any risk to other people in the area.

www.abqtrib.com

ATS Google Search


[edit on 2007/6/8 by GradyPhilpott]

The rodent population in the Sierra Nevada range also has bubonic. However, I can't recall any recent deaths.

Good find Grady

Several years ago a Santa Fe couple went on vacation to NYC where they became sick, and diagnosed with the Plague. It was a big national story at the time. I am sure it was due to the fear that they contracted it in the City. But it turned out they were exposed in Santa Fe.

Many people don't realize that New Mexico is part of the United States of America. Too many things are overlooked about our great state on the national level, good or bad.

Here's a link to that story:

A New Mexico man in isolation at a New York City hospital tested positive for bubonic plague, the dangerous bacterial disease that has not been seen in the city in at least a century, health officials said Wednesday.

City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said the 53-year-old-man's wife is also likely to have contracted the disease.

The man was hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday, while his 47-year-old wife was hospitalized in stable condition. The Santa Fe couple was visiting New York.

media.www.dailyl obo.com

That is so friggin' gross....I hate rodents and mammals of all kinds. They always carry the worst diseases.

There are a lot of rodents in the east mountains. Makes me glad to live in ABQ.

@ porcupine,
lol! I met a woman one time who said (after telling her that I lived in NM), "Wow! Don't you ever have problems with Indians down there?"

Originally posted by eliw777
"Wow! Don't you ever have problems with Indians down there?"

I've had a number of people ask me that question. Some were school teachers.

I once sent a pair of Koss headphones back to the factory for servicing and they were returned with a customs declaration attached.

Which, of course, might explain why some Yankee city-slicker newspaper reporters might forget to take note of our epidemiological data.


[edit on 2007/6/9 by GradyPhilpott]

When my dad retired to ABQ his family in NYC asked why he was taking the kids out of the country.

I live near the Sandia Mountain range, but in the city, we do have mice once and a while. But, the rodants that seem to carry the fleas that are infected seem to be further north. My sisters husband did research on the Bubanic Plague back in the late 60's. He was in the US Army, and the research was done in the Jemez Mountain and Four Corners area. At the time, It was overwhelmingly present in the praire dog colonies.

Originally posted by laiguana
I hate mammals of all kinds. They always carry the worst diseases.

That includes human beings you know =]

A 3-year-old East Mountains boy has died of bubonic plague, marking the first fatal case of the disease in New Mexico this year, the state Health Department has confirmed.

Sounds to me like it's not all that uncommon. Certainly more frequent then I thought im sure! I thought this plague was ancient news.

Bubonic plague is actually still around. It's very treatable now with antibiotics, though, so death is very rare. Our medical and person hygiene practices make it very rare, as well. One of the world's biggest hotspots for bubonic plague is only a few hours drive south of where I live, and I've never heard of a plague case, let alone a plague death, around here.

A map of plague locations in 1998:
www.cdc.gov...

The tiny red spot above Montana is the spot I refer to that I live a few hours away from. I saw a far better map than this in a history class once, but this will do for now, I suppose.

off topic:

Many people don't realize that New Mexico is part of the United States of America. Too many things are overlooked about our great state on the national level, good or bad.

Are people actually that stupid that they don't know New Mexico is a state? I can forgive the person if they lived geographically far away from the USA, but really anyone in North America should know that.