AUGUST 15, 2017
by Chuck Bednar
Fleas in some parts of northern
Arizona have tested positive for the bubonic plague, a now-rare disease
believed to have been responsible for millions of deaths during the Middle
Ages, health officials confirmed to ABC News, Newsweek and other media outlets over the past week.
The infected parasites were first
detected in Coconino County and have since also been found in Navajo County,
according to published reports. While the insects have indeed tested positive
for Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes the plague, thus far, no
illnesses have been reported.
In a statement, the Navajo County
Health Department said that it was “urging the public to take precautions to
reduce their risk of exposure to this serious disease, which can be present in
fleas, rodents, rabbits and predators that feed upon these animals.” They added
that the illness “can be transmitted to humans and other animals by the bite of
an infected flea.”
Humans can also catch the disease
through bodily fluids (such as respiratory droplets), as well as through direct
contact with infected animals (including handling tissues or fluids from a
creature that has contracted the disease), Newsweek noted. People
living, working or visiting the affected areas are also advised to keep their
pets from roaming free, ABC News added.
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