Bubonic Plague Discovered In Colorado Squirrel

a squirrel in the field

A squirrel has tested positive for bubonic plague in Colorado, ABC News reported. Officials are warning the public to take reasonable precautions and to be on the lookout for symptoms.

According to a statement from Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH), the infected squirrel was found in the town of Morrison, just west of Denver.

“Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and can be contracted by humans and household animals if proper precautions are not taken,” the statement read in part.

UNDATED PHOTO: A bubonic plague smear, prepared from a lymph removed from an adenopathic lymph node, or bubo, of a plague patient, demonstrates the presence of the Yersinia pestis bacteria that causes the plague in this undated photo. The FBI has confirmed that about 30 vials that may contain bacteria that could cause bubonic or pneumonic plague have gone missing, then found, from the Health Sciences Center at Texas Tech University January 15, 2003 in Lubbock, Texas. The plague, considered a likely bioterror agent since it's easy to make, is easily treatable with antibiotics if diagnosed early and properly. (Photo by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Getty Images)
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Getty Images / Getty Images

Specifically, humans can be infected by the fleas that bite the animals and then bite humans, passing the pathogen on to them.

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