The Plague is Back

Bubonic Plague found in the United States
Utah and Colorado have confirmed cases in Rodents

Arches National Park closed it campground on Tuesday by order of the National Park Service in an attempt to keep infection from spreading to humans.

Bubonic Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis which is carried by rodents and spread by fleas. The bacteria causes a blockage in the flea stomach and as a result they will attempt to feed from sources of food nearby -- this includes their usual hosts, rats, as well as near-by potential hosts, Humans. The fleas die shortly after infection due to starvation.

Infected Humans show flu like symptoms in three to seven days. If left untreated death occurs in 30 to 75% of cases. According to Wikipedia "These two countries [Madagascar and Congo] have on average 600-800 cases each per year. They accounted for 2,025 of the 2,118 cases and 177 of the 182 deaths in 2003".

There have been three pandemics of bubonic plague in recorded history: The Plague of Justinian (541 AD), The Black Death (14th Century), and the Third Pandemic (1855).

Dr. Paul-Louis Simmond researched the Third Pandemic and isolated this Flea-Rat cycle of infection. He found that people were not infected with the disease if they came in contact with the rodent more than 24 hours after death. This is since rodents and fleas infected with Yersinia pestis die shortly after infection. With this in mind, the campground needs to be closed for one day after the death of the last infected rodent.

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