Posted on 07/26/2013 11:48:47 AM PDT by TangledUpInBlue
A plague-infected squirrel has closed a California campground for at least a week, according to Los Angeles County health officials.
The squirrel, trapped July 16 in the Table Mountain Campgrounds of Angeles National Forest, tested positive for the infection Tuesday, prompting a health advisory and the closing of the campground while investigators tested other squirrels and dusted the area for plague-infected fleas.
"Plague is a bacterial infection that can be transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas, which is why we close affected campgrounds and recreational areas as a precaution while preventive measures are taken to control the flea population," L.A. County health officer Dr. Jonathan Fielding said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at gma.yahoo.com ...
Oh dang...
It’s more common than mot people think. Rodents and squirrels in the four corners region have been carrying it for decades.
It’s been there since it arrived from Asia around 1900, there was a plague outbreak in LA in 1924. It is also prominent in New Mexico, a woman died from it about 5 miles from me a couple years ago.
Racist headline!
NM....land of the flea and home of the plague.
[i] Racist headline! [/i]
Oh God! Now THAT is funny...
need pictures of Black Death plague
And every few years a cub reporter thinks s/he's discovered something new and important.
That's really funny....did you think that up?
Lets all cower in the corner and shriek like 10 year old girls.
What are the odds of getting bitten by any flea, let alone an infected flea, in a forest, by a flea hitching a ride on a squirrel?
And how successful is a flea dusting going to be in a forest, where the squirrels are highly mobile and tend to travel in the treetops?
Sounds a bit like some government agencies needing to work up a way to spend a few million dollars to justify their fat budget for another year.
The plague-infected fleas walk across the southern border every day ,most carrying bundles of drugs
:snicker-snort:
No, it was the motto of the Albuquerque science fiction convention called “Bubonicon” for years.
Was gonna say that it’s not uncommon in NM, but you beat me to the punch. They trap a few animals each year that test positive, and a handful of humans succumb to it, usually the elderly and people who ignore the symptoms (treatable with antibiotics).
Prarie dogs have it too. Just don’t play around with dead rodents.
Great... First Obama and now THE PLAGUE!!!
I think he really is the antichrist
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