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Thursday, September 15, 2005

Santa Fe County A Plague Hot Spot

By Stacey Boyne
Mountain View Telegraph
    Santa Fe County, and specifically the Edgewood area, is apparently a hot spot for recent cases of bubonic plague.
    Edgewood animal control officer Vicki Lenderman reported five confirmed cases of the disease found in wildlife and one domestic cat within the town limits.
    "Santa Fe County is a hot spot right now. In addition to the rock squirrel, cottontail rabbit, prairie dog and cat cases, two human cases have been confirmed in the county," Lenderman explained at the Edgewood Town Council meeting Sept. 7.
    She said five dog and 12 cat cases have been confirmed around the state, in addition to the local reports.
    Between May 13 and Sept. 1, animal cases of the plague were found in the areas of Moonlight Meadows/Hill Ranch Road, the airport area, the Dinkle Road/County Line Road area, Rincon Loop and south of Interstate 40 on the Santa Fe/Torrance County line, according to Lenderman's report to the council.
    A plague fact sheet provided by the New Mexico Department of Health says that although human cases of plague are rare, 50 percent of human cases reported each year in the United States occur in New Mexico.
    Plague is generally transmitted through bites from a rodent flea that is infected with plague bacteria, according to the fact sheet. Domestic pets such as cats that are allowed outside and hunt rodents are at higher risk of contracting the disease and bringing it into the home, the sheet says.
    Although less common, it is possible to contract the disease by inhaling infectious droplets expelled by a person or cat with the pneumonic form of plague, or by coming into direct contact with an infected animal's blood, such as when skinning a rabbit or other game.
    In New Mexico, rodents such as squirrels, chipmunks, mice, woodrats, prairie dogs and gophers are the main carriers of plague. However, rabbits and wild and domestic carnivores including dogs, cats, coyotes and bobcats can become infected with the plague, the fact sheet says.
    Cats are more likely to get sick than dogs and can spread the disease to owners through biting, coughing or draining of abscesses, according to the state Department of Health.
    There are three forms of plague, and symptoms of all three usually develop within two to six days after a flea bite or contact with an infected animal occurs, according to NMDOH. Symptoms include high fever, chills, weakness, headache and muscle aches. However, with bubonic plague, 75 percent of the time a lymph node in the groin, armpit or neck becomes swollen and very painful.
    Health officials recommend seeking medical attention immediately for any illness resulting in a sudden onset of high fever. Symptoms of fever, lethargy and loss of appetite in a pet that may have contact with rodents should be referred to a veterinarian immediately.
    Although plague is curable with antibiotics if promptly diagnosed and treated, NMDOH reports a high fatality rate in cases of inadequate or delayed treatment.
    The Department of Health recommends the following actions to lower the risk of contracting plague:
   

Avoid contact with wild rodents;
   

Do not handle a wild animal, dead or alive;
   

Prevent pets from roaming and treat outside pets regularly with an effective flea-control product;
   

Remove items that attract rodents to the home, such as uncovered outside garbage, wrecked cars and piles of wood and refuse near the home;
   

Wear rubber gloves when skinning game and handling the uncooked meat;
   

Be aware of the symptoms of plague;
   

Contact the Department of Health in Santa Fe County (827-0006) or the Environmental Health Department in Bernalillo County (314-1310) upon discovering sick or dead rodents and rabbits in the absence of poisoning or trauma.