Colorado health officials confirmed a resident of the state has contracted a rare case of human plague. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News
Colorado health officials on Tuesday confirmed a case of human plague in that state.
The infection — which occurred in Pueblo County, in the southern part of the state — was first reported Friday based on preliminary test results, while the source of the infection is still being tracked down.
“Plague can be treated successfully with antibiotics, but an infected person must be treated promptly to avoid serious complications or death,” Alicia Solis, program manager of the Office of Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness at the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a news release announcing the case.
“We advise all individuals to protect themselves and their pets from plague,” she added.
This is not the first case of plague that Colorado has seen: The state had 67 reported cases between 1970 and 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the United States as a whole, an average of seven human plague cases are reported each year.
Worldwide, 3,248 human plague cases were reported between 2010 and 2015, the World Health Organization says.
Unfortunately, “a plague vaccine is no longer available in the United States,” the CDC notes. “New plague vaccines are in development, but are not expected to be commercially available in the immediate future.”
Caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, the plague is an infectious disease typically spread by fleas. Once known as “The Black Death,” which killed millions in Europe during the Middle Ages, the plague circulates naturally among wild rodents and rarely infects humans today.
Anyone who develops symptoms of plague should see their doctor immediately, the CDC says. Typical symptoms include sudden fever and chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and, commonly, swollen lymph nodes with pain.
What can people do to avoid infection?
One way is to eliminate places where wild rodents can exist close to humans such as brush, rock piles, trash and piles of lumber around homes, garages, sheds and recreation areas, according to Colorado health officials.
Taking precautions around pets can also reduce risk of transmission. Health officials suggest treating dogs and cats for fleas, keeping pet food in rodent-proof containers and not letting pets roam in rodent areas or sleep in bed with you.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the plague.
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Police in Northern Colorado are investigating after a crash involving multiple vehicles claimed the life of a pedestrian.
The Greeley Police Department received reports of a crash at the 5500 block of Highway 34 around 5:50 p.m. on Monday. When officers arrived, they discovered that two vehicles were involved in a crash with a 19-year-old woman who attempted to walk across the highway.
Police said there was no crosswalk in the area, and she was struck by the driver’s side of a Chevrolet Blazer. The impact knocked the woman into the inside lane, where she was struck by a Chevrolet Traverse. A witness told officers they saw the woman crossing the roadway ‘as traffic arrived at her location.’
First responders attempted life-saving measures on the woman at the scene before she was taken to North Colorado Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. GPD said the Weld County Coroner’s Office will release her identity at a later time.
Neither driver involved was injured in the crash. Police said they don’t expect charges to be filed against those drivers at the moment, but the case remains under investigation. The police department asked anyone with information on the crash to contact Officer Ed Kubala at Edward.Kubala@greeleypd.com.
While Colorado ranks near the middle of U.S. states for carbon emissions per capita, it still produces enough CO2 per person to rival countries on the World Bank’s list of top emitters internationally.
In 2023, Colorado produced 13.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per capita. If it had been ranked by the World Bank during the same year, Colorado would have placed 14th among the more than 200 countries on the list, just behind Canada, at 14.1, and just ahead of the U.S. as a whole, at 13.7.
Among U.S. states, Colorado ranked 26th in carbon emissions per capita. Wyoming had the highest per capita emissions in the country, at 92.9 metric tons, while Maryland had the lowest, at 7.8.
Most of Colorado’s emissions come from energy production and consumption, primarily natural gas and oil production and electric power production and consumption.
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