In a concerning development, a squirrel in Colorado, USA, recently tested positive for bubonic plague.
The squirrel was tested in a town called Morrison, Colorado. This is the first known case of plague in the United States, according to the Jefferson County Public Health Department.
The bubonic plague is a rare but serious bacterial infection passed on by fleas. The disease resulted in the longest and most destructive pandemic in human history.
The black death pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people in Europe.
While modern antibiotics mean the disease is not as fatal as it once was, it’s still a major risk for animals and humans.
On July 7th, a case of the bubonic plague was confirmed in Inner Mongolia. The patient has a stable condition. Marmots, a type of squirrel, are suspected to be the potential cause behind this outbreak. They are also considered to be responsible for the 1911 plague epidemic in China, which cost the nation almost 63,000 lives.
On May 1st, 2019 a couple had died from the bubonic plague after eating the raw kidneys of a marmot.
Published 15 July 2020, 12:43 IST