Posted at: 07/09/2009 2:53 PM
Updated at: 07/09/2009 3:06 PM
By: Reed Upton, KOB.com
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Albuquerque reports first plague case
The City of Albuquerque’s health department has confirmed the first case of human plague in Bernalillo County in 2009.
The department says a 16-month-old girl is currently hospitalized and recovering. Her great-grandfather is also undergoing treatment for plague after displaying symptoms consistent with the disease.
There have now been five confirmed cases of plague in the state this year – six if the great-grandfather’s case is confirmed.
Three have been in Santa Fe County, and one of those plague victims died. The fourth was in Sandoval County where the patient recovered.
The department reports that the Bernalillo County case appears to have been contracted in the East Mountains area and the department is conducting an environmental investigation.
Plague is a bacterial disease found in rodents in the wild. It can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected flea.
Symptoms of plague include fever, chills, painful lymph nodes, headache, vomiting or diarrhea.
