A child in California has contracted the same plague that had killed millions across Europe during the Middle Ages. The child may have been infected middle of July while visiting Stanislau National Forest and Yosemite National Park . California's Department of Public Health and the National Park announced last Thursday that the child is recovering and no other members of the camping party have reported any related symptoms. They are currently searching for the wilderness for the source of infection.
The disease spreading today is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria and is identical to the one during the Middle Ages. This bacteria spends part of their life cycle in the digestive systems of fleas that live on wild rodents. This means the plague can spread to pets, livestock, or humans if they get too close. Sandy Carncross, a professor of environmental health at the London School of Hygience and Tropical Medicine said not be alarmed by the news. He added that many of the things that were life-threatening to people in Britain in the Midde Ages or even up until the 18th or 19th centuries are still fairly common in developing countries.
The plague is endemic among California's wild rodents, especially in foothill and mountainous areas, however it hasn't infected a human since 2006. There has been a reported 42 cases in the state of California since 1970, nine of which were fatal. There are about 7 cases of plague in the U.S every year, mostly in Western areas where the disease is endemic among wild mammals especially rodents.
There have been three cases reported so far this year, which is in line with the numbers. The other two happened in Colorado, a teenager in Larimer County and an adult in Pueblo County. Unfortunately, both resulted in deaths as announced by the local health department last Wednesday.
Although this is a rare disease and can be treated with antibiotics, it is advised to avoid any contact with any wild rodent (chipmunks, squirrels and the like), no matter how cute they are and to spray insect repellent with DEET on socks and pant cuffs to fend off fleas. Doctors say that there's almost no danger of an outbreak in LA County; unless an infection is left untreated and finds its way into the patient's lungs, plague isn't directly transmissible from person to person.
