Pueblo County introduced Wednesday that an grownup there had died of the illness, which was possible unfold by fleas from a lifeless animal.
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The plague has killed a second person this year in the US state of Colorado. Health officials say the latest victim, an adult whose name was not released, may have contracted the disease after being bitten by fleas carried on an infected rodent.
Cases of the plague are rare, and deaths are even rarer.
This is the first time a Pueblo County resident has gotten plague since 2004.
Plague can be spread through rodent populations in a localized area, which often results in animal die-offs.
“Although Turkey Creek is confirmed for plague after testing a dead prairie dog, it could occur elsewhere in Pueblo County as well”, Proud said.
Plague is transmitted from rodent to rodent by infected fleas. The department is investigating the case with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
In June, a 16-year-old passed away in Larimer County, and health officials only determined that he had suffered from septicemic plague after his death.
Individuals infected with plague usually show symptoms 2-6 days after coming in contact with the disease.
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While all types can be treated and cured when antibiotics are given soon after infection, all of them are deadly when treatment is delayed.
