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Three Cases Of Human Plague Reported In Santa Fe County, New Mexico

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 06:22 PST, Jun 27, 2017

Three cases of the human plague have now been recorded in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. All three plague victims are older individuals in their 50s or 60s.

New Mexico Health Department officials just revealed a 52-year-old woman, a 62-year-old woman, and a 63-year-old-man have contracted the human plague in Santa Fe County in recent weeks. All three infected individuals are residents of the county and have been hospitalized.

So far, no deaths have been reported due to the human plague outbreak in New Mexico. State health officials are currently investigating the homes of the patients to ensure no one else in the nearby areas have been placed at risk of contracting the potentially deadly infection.

On average, seven cases of the human plague are reported annually in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics shared by MSN. The plague is treatable as long as symptoms are recognized quickly and the patient is given appropriate antibiotics.

Typically, the plague is contracted through insect bites, but humans can also become infected after coming into contact with either dead animals or live infected rodents. Fleas are one of the most common insect carriers of the human plague.

Four cases of the plague were also reported in New Mexico in both 2015 and 2016, Fox News reports. One of the New Mexico plague patients died after battling the disease.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, a Colorado man died after becoming a bubonic plague victim in 2015. Taylor Gaes died on June 8, two years ago, after contracting a “septicemic pester” commonly associated with the plague. The teenage victim reportedly had a difficult-to-detect and rare illness that is often the initiator of the bubonic plague.

Typical symptoms of the plague routinely include fever, gangrene, chills, muscle cramps, seizures, and swelling or soreness of the lymph nodes. Because cases of the plague are so rare, the patient’s symptoms can initially be misdiagnosed and a more common health issue blamed for the illness.

The CDC is urging Americans to limit their chances of coming into contact with rodent habitats, especially around their home, treating their animals for fleas, and using insect spray when in the woods or when camping to avoid possible plague exposure.

[Featured Image by Allahfoto/Shutterstock]

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