Welcome to the Middle Ages
Danger from plague becoming very real in New Mexico

By Jim Tiffin
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Plague is probably alive in the Cibola, McKinley and San Juan counties areas.

"It is probably just smoldering among the rodent population there," says Dr. Paul Ettestad, the state veterinarian.

Plague has surfaced in Bernalillo, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos counties and if the rodent population increases in Cibola McKinley and San Juan counties, where plague has been documented in the past, it could become a problem here as well, he said.

"With the drought the past few years there are fewer rodents, but if a higher rodent population occurs, plague will increase dramatically and become noticed," Ettestad said.

Plague, also called "Bubonic Plague," is the same one that decimated Europe in the Middle Ages.

"It is a bacterial infection that is spread by fleas," Ettestad says.

"A flea takes a blood meal from a rodent or a squirrel; then, when it takes another blood meal from an uninfected rodent, squirrel, cat or dog, it spreads the disease," he says.

Symptoms in people who can contract plague by handling an infected cat or dog, are sudden onset of high fever, swollen lymph nodes in the groin or armpit area, chills and headache.

"The bacteria travels to the closest lymph node. That's why when people get bit on their legs or arms it appears in those areas," Ettestad says.

Treatment is with specific antibiotics that doctors have to prescribe after determining the problem is actually plague and not something else, he says.

The problems occurs two to seven days after being bitten.

"People can get infected by getting bit by a dog or cat after the animals have been infected, or for example, by skinning a rabbit with open cuts on their hands and the rabbits blood gets into the person's bloodstream," he says.

If your dog or cat suddenly appears lethargic, has a fever and does not want to eat, it may have contracted the plague from a flea and should be taken to a veterinarian right away, Ettestad says.

The plague has only been in the United States for about 100 years. It appeared in the western U.S. ports when shipping and trade routes opened with China. Rats boarded the trade ships and entered the U.S. through San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles, and the disease then spread.

The plague that decimated Europe in the Middle Ages, about 1340-1350 A.D., was also created by trade routes being opened with China. Ships bearing rodents and fleas began trading with Europe where people lived very close together and had poor hygiene and sanitation, causing the plaque to take off, he says.