Human case of plague surfaces in Colorado

A human case of the plague has turned up in Colorado, health officials say.

There were no immediate details about the victim — including age, gender or condition — or how they contracted the potentially deadly infection.

It was reported in Pueblo County south of Colorado Springs, officials said.

A resident died from the plague in Archuleta County in southwest Colorado last fall — although cases are typically rare in the US, usually numbering fewer than 17 annually, health officials said.

“In the Middle Ages, plague was labeled ‘Black Death’ as it swept through Europe killing millions of people,’’ Pueblo County’s Department of Health says on its website, referring to how the horror left many of its victims with black rotting splotches on their bodies.

“Today, improved sanitation practices and rodent control has reduced the threat,” the DOH said.

The infamous bacterial infection is frequently transferred from rodents and their fleas to humans.

Symptoms can include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes and headaches.

The disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics if caught early enough, authorities said.