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Little Tich

(6,171 posts) Mon Jun 22, 2015, 09:26 PM Jun 2015

Teenager killed by plague in rural northern Colorado

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

DENVER (Reuters) - A teenager in rural northern Colorado has died from a rare form of plague that he may have contracted from fleas on a dead rodent or other animal, health officials have said.

The 16-year-old from the Cherokee Park area, who was not named, died on June 8 but plague was only recently confirmed as the cause, the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment said in a statement.

Many people visited the family after his death, before the cause was known, and the youth's relatives were reaching out to all those who came to their home or attended the scattering of his ashes on their property, it said.

"There is a small chance that others might have been bitten by infected fleas, so anyone who was on the family's land in the last seven days should seek medical attention immediately if a fever occurs," the department said on June 19.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/teenager-killed-plague-rural-northern-colorado-182610890.html

8 replies

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Teenager killed by plague in rural northern Colorado (Original Post) Little Tich Jun 2015 OP

Hasn't plague been found in prairie dog towns...seems I've read about that somewhere... pipoman Jun 2015 #1

it is not uncommon in the intermountain west Kali Jun 2015 #7

Saw this a couple days ago--sad story. Makes me jittery working outside TwilightGardener Jun 2015 #2

The plague seems like nasty way to go Lucky Luciano Jun 2015 #3

With modern antibiotics, plague is no longer a big deal cosmicone Jun 2015 #4

In 1975 mchill Jun 2015 #5

here's from the local paper fizzgig Jun 2015 #6

There are always a few cases a year in the US Marrah_G Jun 2015 #8

pipoman

(16,038 posts)

1. Hasn't plague been found in prairie dog towns...seems I've read about that somewhere...

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Mon Jun 22, 2015, 09:35 PM

Jun 2015

Edit....yep, here it is...SD in 2014...probably could have spread to Colorado 8th a year...

http://m.rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/plague-spreading-among-prairie-dogs-in-south-dakota/article_624c085a-8eae-56b8-958b-83e4af5a5c8f.html?mobile_touch=true

Kali

(55,032 posts)

7. it is not uncommon in the intermountain west

Reply to pipoman (Reply #1)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 10:22 AM

Jun 2015

TwilightGardener

(46,416 posts)

2. Saw this a couple days ago--sad story. Makes me jittery working outside

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Mon Jun 22, 2015, 09:35 PM

Jun 2015

among the bunnies, ground squirrels, mice, prairie dogs this time of year in plague country.

Lucky Luciano

(11,267 posts)

3. The plague seems like nasty way to go

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Mon Jun 22, 2015, 10:44 PM

Jun 2015

I just googled septicemic plague pictures - nasty.

cosmicone

(11,014 posts)

4. With modern antibiotics, plague is no longer a big deal

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Mon Jun 22, 2015, 11:37 PM

Jun 2015

... only if diagnosed as soon as the person falls ill ...

mchill

(1,020 posts)

5. In 1975

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 01:56 AM

Jun 2015

I fell ill after my first week working in the woods for the US Forest Service. Had a fever of 104 for a week until I was finally given antibiotics. Back then, they had to send one's blood off to the Public Health Dept for a final dx. In the meantime, the doctors were worried about Rocky Mt Fever (tic) or Bubonic Plague (flea from rodent). Turned out to be the later. It was a particularly bad year for plague in the rodent population in California, and especially in the area I was working in. High WBC and important to treat early with antibiotics as it seems less curable, from my memory, if it goes to the next stage - pneumonic plague - in the lungs. Thankfully, one adult in my life kept dragging me to the doctor for treatment. I don't think I even had a doctor at the time.

fizzgig

(24,146 posts)

6. here's from the local paper

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 02:02 AM

Jun 2015

A 16-year-old Poudre High School student who suddenly became ill this month died from a rare strain of plague. He is believed to have been the first Larimer County resident to have contracted the deadly disease since 1999, health officials say.

An investigation is ongoing, but it is believed that Taylor Gaes contracted the septicemic plague from fleas on a dead rodent or other animal on the family's land in the Cherokee Park area near Livermore, northwest of Fort Collins, Larimer County health officials confirmed to the Coloradoan Saturday. Septicemic plague occurs when bacteria enters the bloodstream directly — it is highly fatal and very rare in humans.

Officials now are warning people who visited the family's home after Gaes' June 8 death — the day after his 16th birthday — to be extra vigilant.

"There is a small chance that others might have been bitten by infected fleas, so anyone who was on the family's land in the last seven days should seek medical attention immediately if a fever occurs. The last exposure to others was likely on June 14," Larimer health officials said in a statement late Friday.

http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2015/06/20/officials-say-rare-form-plague-killed-poudre-student/29031569/

he was the second or third student from that high school to die this year. very sad.

Marrah_G

(28,581 posts)

8. There are always a few cases a year in the US

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 02:15 PM

Jun 2015

Antibiotics usually fix people right up as long as they catch it in time.

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