‘Black Death’ diagnosed in New Mexico

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Health officials in Santa Fe said an unidentified man spent a week in the hospital after suffering high fever, intense pain in his stomach and groin and swollen lymph nodes. He was treated and released, but officials would not say when.

The 58-year-old man was treated for bubonic plague, it was the first case of the disease formerly known as “Black Death” to surface in 2011.

The results of blood tests released Thursday confirmed the man had bubonic plague, officials said. Doctors said the man was most likely bitten by a flea carrying the plague bacteria, the most common method of transmission to humans.

“He was probably bitten by a flea somewhere on his left leg,” Department of Health veterinarian Paul Ettestad told the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Officials wouldn’t say where the man lived, but said they would check his home for rats and rodent burrows and alert his neighbors, the paper said.

Only about 10 to 15 people in the United States catch the frightening illness each year, typically in western states. It is particularly prevalent in New Mexico because the state has a high population of both rodents and fleas.

Globally, health officials report about 1,000 to 3,000 cases per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, weakness and swollen nodes in the neck, armpit or groin. It can be treated with antibiotics, but 1 in 7 cases are fatal.

The Black Death or Black Plague was an epidemic (a disease that goes over a large area) that killed millions of people. It started in Europe in 1347, and lasted until 1351. Almost one out of every three people in Europe got the disease and died. This means about 25 million people died from it, in Europe alone.

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Holte Ender

Holte Ender will always try to see your point of view, but sometimes it is hard to stick his head that far up his @$$.
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12 years ago

…actually…in our politically correct world…are we allowed to say ‘Black death’ anymore?….just wondering…;-)

BigHarryH
Reply to  Jihad punk
12 years ago

Apparently you say what you want.

Reply to  BigHarryH
12 years ago

We all do Big H…it’s called ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom of speech’….I might wholeheartedly disagree with every word you utter…or type…but I will defend your right to say/type it forever.

Actually I generally agree with what you say as it happens…so there! (Even about me when I’ve been on the voddy)

12 years ago

Fleas from rats mainly I think? Not entirely sure…I wasn’t around when it hit England

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