El Paso County Public Health officials Friday confirmed the area’s first case of the plague this year, saying a mule deer found on June 19 tested positive for the disease.
Officials are cautioning residents in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood, on Colorado Springs’ westside, to take precautions. Notification of the positive test came Friday.
The El Paso County case comes on the heels of at least two other incidents of plague in recent days. , a 16-year-old high school baseball player from Poudre High School, died on June 8 after contracting a rare strain of the disease.
Also on Friday, in Lakewood’s Bear Creek Lake Park was shut down by plague connected to a prairie dog colony.
Plague is a bacterial disease transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected flea, or by handling an infected animal. Taking steps to avoid flea exposure will help prevent spread of the disease.
In humans, the symptoms of plague infection are high fever, chills, headache, extreme fatigue and tender or swollen lymph glands. If you experience these symptoms, contact your physician.
Plague is endemic in El Paso County and precautions to prevent plague should always be taken. El Paso County’s last reported human case occurred in 1991; officials said they will monitor plague activity in the neighborhood and respond as appropriate.
