"Black Death popping up in affluent regions of U.S."

We like to think we live in a world protected by Modern Medicine however, when the Black Plague comes knocking at your door it's another ball game.

It seems this 14th Century Plague is still around and a disease that is normally associated with poor living conditions within a flea and rat infested environment can easily be transferred to more affluent areas via cats too. As in this more recent case:

TextA man hospitalized in Bend is likely suffering from the plague, marking the fifth case in Oregon since 1995. The unidentified man, who is in his 50s, fell ill several days after being bitten while trying to get a mouse away from a stray cat. The man is now being treated at St. Charles Medical Center-Bend, where he was listed in critical condition on Tuesday.

www.oregonlive.com...

TextIn the 1980s, most cases occurred where housing conditions were poor, but more recently cases have been reported in affluent areas of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, the investigators found. “The shift from poorer to more affluent regions of New Mexico was a surprise, and suggests that homeowners in these newly developed areas should be educated about the risks of plague,”

TextBubonic plague starts with painful swellings (buboes) of the lymph nodes, which appear in the armpits, legs, neck or groin. Buboes are at first a red color, then they turn a dark purple color, or black. Pneumonic plague starts by infecting the lungs. Other symptoms include a very high fever, delirium, vomiting, muscle pains, bleeding in the lungs and disorientation. In the 14th century, a plague called the Black Death killed an estimated 30 percent to 60 percent of the European population. Victims died quickly, within days after being infected.

theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com...

Treat your Cats for flea infestation and educate your children regarding petting strange animals and the importance of hand washing etc., These are the things we tend to get complacent about!

Just be aware and stay safe!

im calling HOAX on the CAT part,,,
not the Plauge part.
or the rest of the story.
--------------------------------------

after being bitten while trying to ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,get a mouse,?????????
,away
from a stray cat.???????????

was it Mickey??? lol

Why the heck would someone try and get a mouse away from a stray cat? Circle of life anyone? The cat was doing his job. Maybe if the dude didn't interfere, he wouldn't have gotten sick. Just saying.

I agree - A pretty dumb thing to do (we've all done stupid things) but I think the story serves as a reminder that this terrible disease still exists and considering the prevalent antibiotic resistance we now face and how quickly this disease spreads - 'a communicable disease' we need to take notice.

Really, I thought anyone would know better than to take
a mouse from a cat. I agree we need to take good care
to not let our pets get infested with fleas - they do carry
a lot of things one wouldn't want.

Lesson for the day: Don't interfere in the food chain
when it comes to animals!!!!

The Plague has been around forever. There are an average of almost 20 cases a year in the US, and as many as 3,000 in the world per year.

There are over 200 vectors that have been identified so far that transmit the plague. The most common vector is the rat flea, but other carriers include ticks and lice. The most common carriers in the US are the ground and rock squirrel.

The bacteria that cause plague can be transmitted from a host such as a rat to a human through the bite of an animal or insect (such as a flea). These bites transport the disease. The animal or insect that spreads the disease is referred to as a vector. More than 200 different rodents and other species can serve as hosts. Hosts can include domestic cats and dogs, squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, deer mice, rabbits, hares, rock squirrels, camels, and sheep.

The vector is usually the rat flea. Thirty different flea species have been identified as carriers of the plague. Other carriers of plague include ticks and human lice. Transmission can also occur when someone inhales plague-infected organisms that have been released into the air. The inhalation form of the plague can be aerosolized, as in acts of terrorism. People infected by pneumonic plague can transmit air-borne plague in the form of coughed droplets. Close contact with plague-infected tissue or fluid can also transmit plague

www.emedicinehealth.com...

◦In the US, an average of 18 cases per year has been reported during the last few decades. These cases are the mildest form of the illness, and they occur mostly in the Southwest. Prairie dogs of the southwestern plains had once died from the plague. A certain type of squirrel may be vulnerable to contracting the plague in some western states, such as New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and California. Only one case of imported plague has been reported since 1926.
◦Outside the United States, the World Health Organization has reported an annual average of 1,666 cases from 1967-1993. The number of actual cases is probably much higher because many countries fail to diagnose and report the plague. The following countries have reported the most cases of humans infected with the plague since 1979 (in order of most reported cases): Tanzania, Vietnam, Zaire, Peru, Madagascar, Burma, Brazil, Uganda, China, and the US.

www.emedicinehealth.com...

reply to post by quedup


Plague affects 10 or 15 people each year. It is almost never deadly, and it really isn't much to worry about. I'm more scared of Lyme disease, West Nile, or Meningitis than Plague.

If you get the Plague, you get some IV fluids, you get monitored for secondary infections and you get some antibiotics. This isn't the dark ages anymore.

CDC Plague website

I saw this story on Yahoo news. I think it's important that people know this can happen. That way if they get bitten by an animal and start to get symptoms, they'll know to seek medical attention, rather than start the next Black Death.

reply to post by HoppedUp

Originally posted by HoppedUp
Why the heck would someone try and get a mouse away from a stray cat? Circle of life anyone? The cat was doing his job. Maybe if the dude didn't interfere, he wouldn't have gotten sick. Just saying.

**Puts hand up........ Actually I have done that, though it was someone's pet cat (not a stray) and it was chasing a wee mouse so I did as much as I could to distract the cat to let the mouse escape.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by quedup

 

Plague affects 10 or 15 people each year. It is almost never deadly, and it really isn't much to worry about. I'm more scared of Lyme disease, West Nile, or Meningitis than Plague.

If you get the Plague, you get some IV fluids, you get monitored for secondary infections and you get some antibiotics. This isn't the dark ages anymore.

CDC Plague website

I wouldnt call a disease that wiped out 50% of the entire population of the known world at one time "nothing to worry about"
Without treatment, the bubonic plague kills about two thirds of infected humans within 4 days.
Nobody knows why it has'nt broken out in a major city in recent times,But if it did most experts agree it has the potential to be catastrophic.It has been found in big cat species before so it passing to domestic cats is a real possibility.

reply to post by auraelium


Sorry, but I've read some emergency preparedness plans for plague used as bioterror, or just regular outbreak, and it just isn't that scary. It responds very well to several common antibiotics, and there is a vaccine for it that can be administered quickly if need be. Sure, some people will die, but the "experts" are more worried about Swine Flu than they are the plague. Plague is relatively easy to cure and control compared to many of our viruses out there.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by auraelium

 

Sorry, but I've read some emergency preparedness plans for plague used as bioterror, or just regular outbreak, and it just isn't that scary. It responds very well to several common antibiotics, and there is a vaccine for it that can be administered quickly if need be. Sure, some people will die, but the "experts" are more worried about Swine Flu than they are the plague. Plague is relatively easy to cure and control compared to many of our viruses out there.

Yes but the problem is 2/3 of the worlds population dont have access to "common antibiotics".1/3 of the worlds population dont even have access to enough food to form a healthy diet.Common Antibiotics are losing their potency in the richest half of the world at an alarming rate,we already have antibiotic resistant tuberculosis a strain of resistant bubonic plage is not beyond the realms of possibility.