Plague Hits Santa Fe Animals

The New Mexico Department of Health is reporting five documented cases of animals contracting plague in Santa Fe County since November, including three cats, one dog and one mouse from residences in south Santa Fe "near the Interstate 25 corridor and between Cerrillos Road and Old Las Vegas Highway."

Yup, plague. As in Black Death, which,

to the Centers for Disease Control, originated in China in 1334 and spread along trade routes to Europe, claiming 60 percent of that continent's population.

No need for panic, though; cases of humans contracting plague remains rare and, nowadays, antibiotics can fight it. Still, it can be deadly if not treated early, and fighting the disease is not particularly enjoyable experience. Just read the

the Santa Fe couple who contracted it while in New York City.

The bacterial infection commonly transmitted by fleas "occurs naturally in the western United States," according to the New Mexico Department of Health, including California, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. About half of US cases of plague annually occur in New Mexico,

the Department of Health.

"Common symptoms of plague include fever, sever malaise, weakness, headache, chills, myalgia and sometimes gastrointestinal systems," according to the department.

"Plague activity can occur in New Mexico at any time of year, so it is important to take precautions to avoid rodents and their fleas which can expose you to plague," Department of Health Secretary Retta Ward said in a prepared statement.

Dr. Paul Ettestad, a public health veterinarian for the department, said in the statement that "we are seeing die offs of rabbits, squirrels, pack rats and various rodents in several areas of New Mexico from both plague and tularemia."

He adds that dogs and cats can be infected with plague through "hunting rodents and rabbits or by exposure to their fleas."

According to the

, humans contract it through bites of infected fleas, touching or skinning infected animals and inhaling droplets from the cough of an infected person or animal, "especially sick cats."

The Department of Health reports 17 confirmed cases of plague in New Mexico dogs and cats in 2014. Two humans contracted plague in New Mexico last year, according to DOH, both of whom "recovered from the illness."

"One of these cases is thought to have contracted the disease from his cat," states a news release.

In 2013, the department confirmed four cases of human plague in New Mexico, one of them fatal.

Santa Fe Reporter