Bubonic Plague Found in Colorado

The Bubonic Plague has been found in Colorado. Plague is a disease which is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, it is native to many places around the world which includes western parts of the United States such as Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico. Regular plague cycles occur naturally in wild rodent populations, including squirrels, prairie dogs, rats and mice. The main transmitters of plague are fleas, the bites from fleas or other infected animals can transmit plague to humans.

The Colorado government has a PDF on their official website and reads "If you think your exposure to plague was deliberate (e.g. a bioterrorist event), call 911 immediately."

Pneumonic plague is the only form of plague that can transmit human to human but is very rare. The symptoms of pneumonic plague are similar to pneumonia, including fever, headache, and weakness, shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery mucous. Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease that can lead to respiratory failure and shock.

The United States has a national stockpile of antibiotics to deal with plague incase of an emergency, people would receive it free of charge. The U.S. also has antibiotics and vaccines for other diseases and hazards incase of an emergency.

Reference: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Final_Plague%20Fact%20Sheet_DB.pdf