Three Additional Cases of Human Plague in Colorado: CDC Reports

Three more people have been diagnosed with pneumonic plague in the state of Colorado.

In all four people have been infected with the disease and from the same source ;  an infected dog whose owner is already in hospital for the same disease, according to a statement on Friday by the the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment .

Last week an Eastern Colorado man was diagnosed with  pneumonic plaguen after his dog got infected. The patient is admitted in hospital and is undergoing treatment but his current medical conditions was  not revealed by the hospital authorities.

The three new cases have been  admitted in hospitals and are  being treated with antibiotics, says the department

The Tri-County Health Department officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are continuing to work together to investigate these cases and prevent further illnesses. Although person-to-person transmission of plague is extremely rare, individuals who may have been exposed through close contact with the four cases have been identified.

The infected dog in Colorado may have contracted the disease from prairie dogs or rabbits, which are the primary hosts for fleas that carry the bacteria and when the hosts die the fleas transmit the disease. 

The Tri county department staff member has gone door to door to alert the area about plague and assess the prairie dog population. People and pets walking in open spaces and trails should avoid contact with prairie dogs, rabbits and other rodents.

Twelve cases of human infected plague have been reported over the pas decade, says Jennifer House, the department's public health veterinarian.

"We usually don't see an outbreak like this related to the same source," House told Reuters.