Posted on 04/18/2006 4:34:55 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
A CASE of bubonic plague has been reported in the second largest US city, Los Angeles, for the first time in 22 years, health officials said today.
An unidentified woman came down last week with symptoms of the disease, known as the Black Death, when it devastatingly swept across Europe in the 14th century. Health officials said they believed the infected woman, who remains in hospital, was exposed to fleas in the area around her house and stressed it was unlikely the rare disease would spread.
"Bubonic plague is not usually transmissible from person to person," Jonathan Fielding, head of Los Angeles County public health, said.
Mr Fielding explained the disease is not uncommon among animals such as squirrels but seldom spreads to humans.
"Fortunately, human plague infection is rare in urban environments, and this single case should not be a cause for alarm in the area where this occurred," he said.
Health officials investigating the source of the disease set traps to catch squirrels and other wild animals in the area near where the woman lives.
Blood tests will be performed on any animals caught to determine if they were exposed to the plague bacteria.
Plague symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea, headache, sore throat, fatigue and swollen, tender lymph nodes associated with the arm or leg that has flea bites.
The disease is treatable with antibiotics, medical experts said.
Looks perfect to me...
it'd be the 1st time many pubbies have seen something with nuts there
What do you use to ward off bird flu? :)
No bird flue for me. 
Wrong! 25 million people didn't die in Europe from fleas.
Fleas spread it from rodents to humans and then humans spread it like wildfire.
Or too many illegals.
Whether they are from Mexico (most likely) or Asia, it is certain to be an illegal.
Ping!
What's the antidote to that prescription? LOL
Actually, there are theories that the Black Death may not have been just bubonic plaque, because some of the symptoms do not fit, and there are few rats in some of the areas where the pandemic struck, such as Iceland. Other candidates are pulmonary anthrax and some Ebola like virus.
People had fleas, too.
Isolation.
I've seen some 'experts' say recently that they believe at least two agents were at work during the Black Death.
Heh, they call prairie dogs "plague bunnies".
"Once a human is infected, a progressive illness generally results unless specific antibiotic therapy is given. Progression leads to blood infection and, finally, to lung infection. The infection of the lung is termed plague pneumonia, and it can be transmitted to others through the expulsion of droplets by coughing."
The high death rates were human to human.
Btw, the rat flea was the carrier, not the human flea.
http://www.nps.gov/public_health/inter/info/factsheets/fs_plague.htm
I make a couple gallons a day and keep all my friends supplied.
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