Colorado Squirrel Tests Positive For The Bubonic Plague

KEY POINTS

Health officials said a squirrel found over the weekend in Morrison, Colorado, tested positive for the bubonic plague
It is the second case found in just over a week after a 15-year-old farmer tested positive in China after eating what was suspected to be contaminated meat
The bubonic plague, better known historically as the Black Death, is responsible for the single-worst pandemic in human history that killed an estimated 25 million people

Public health officials in Colorado warned a squirrel was found to have tested positive for the bubonic plague, better known historically as Black Death. The squirrel was found over the weekend in the town of Morrison, located 17 miles southwest of Denver.

“The squirrel is the first case of plague in the county,” Jefferson County health officials said in a press release. “Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and can be contracted by humans and household animals if proper precautions are not taken.”

Jefferson County officials advised people to ensure there was not food or items in and around their house that would attract wild animals possibly carrying it. No other cases have been identified in the area.

While not as dangerous today, the bubonic plague is responsible for the single-worst pandemic in human history during the 14th century. It is not known precisely where the plague began in 1347, though historians agree central and eastern Asia are the most likely sources. This is due to the Silk Road, which served as a major trade line from Europe to Asia for centuries.

The plague spread like a proverbial wildfire once it arrived in Europe due to black rats carrying it on trade ships.

“The plague killed an estimated 25 million people, almost a third of the continent’s population,” National Geographic said. “The Black Death lingered on for centuries, particularly in cities. Outbreaks included the Great Plague of London (1665-66), in which 70,000 residents died.”

Symptoms typically appear within a week of exposure and consist of a “sudden onset of high fever, chills, headache, nausea and extreme pain and swelling of lymph nodes.” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says it can be treated with antibiotics within 24 hours of the first symptoms appearing.

Colorado is not the only place to report the bubonic plague in July. The city of Bayannur in China’s Inner Mongolia was placed in lockdown on July 6 after a 15-year-old farmer tested positive for the plague. Chinese news agency Xinhua said the boy likely contracted the plague after eating an infected marmot, which is a common animal carrier for the plague in China.