Thursday, September 13, 2007

The plague strikes again

A woman in Apache County [Arizona] is battling the plague and state health officials are warning anyone in higher elevations to take extra precautions to avoid becoming the next victim.

The human case is the first reported in the state since 2000. Craig Levy of the state Department of Health Services says the disease can be contracted from fleas, rodents or other infected animals.

He also says that family pets allowed to roam often bring the disease back home and can infect their owners.

The Apache County case follows an outbreak last month in prairie dogs in Flagstaff. Levy says that means the disease is probably widespread in the Arizona high county.

- AP/azcentral (link here)

The Black Death returns.

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