Bernalillo County Commissioner Michael Brasher will host a free, Plague Awareness and Prevention meeting at Los Vecinos Community Center in Tijeras on Tuesday, August 4, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. At least five cases of plague have been confirmed in New Mexico since the start of this year. Plague is a bacterial disease found in wild rodents that can be transmitted to humans, usually if they’re bitten by an infected flea. Health officials say that anyone living in Bernalillo County east of the Sandia Mountains is “always at-risk for plague” and that appropriate preventative measures should be taken.
“We have invited plague experts from the New Mexico Department of Health and the City of Albuquerque to help us understand what plague is, how it spreads, and how we can protect ourselves from it,” says Commissioner Brasher, who represents East Mountain area residents. “Another, less common way of getting plague is by handling sick or dead animals that are infected with plague. Although it’s a rare disease, it can be fatal. About half the cases of human plague in the U.S. occur in New Mexico. We want to do everything we can to protect the health and welfare of our community.”
Symptoms of plague usually appear two to seven days after infection. The most common signs are:
· Sudden onset of high fever
· Muscle aches and headache
· Chills
· Extreme weakness
In about 75% of cases, a lymph gland in the groin, under an arm, or in the neck becomes
extremely painful, tender and swollen and this is referred to as bubonic plague. Plague can also cause a severe blood infection and pneumonia. People with untreated bubonic plague may risk having the infection spread to their blood or lungs.
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7/31/2009