‘No cause for alarm’ over plague woman

A WOMAN in Los Angeles has been taken to hospital with bubonic plague.

The disease, known as the Black Death swept across Europe in the 14th century, killing up to one-third of the population.

Health officials said it was the first confirmed human case in Los Angeles County in more than two decades.

The unidentified woman was admitted on April 13 with a fever, swollen lymph nodes and other symptoms. A blood test confirmed she had contracted the bacterial disease.

She was put on antibiotics and is in a stable condition.

Bubonic plague is not contagious, but if left untreated it can turn into pneumonic plague, which can be spread from person to person.

Bubonic plague is usually transmitted to humans from the bites of fleas infected by dead rodents. Health officials suspect the woman was exposed to fleas at home.

Head of Los Angeles County public health, Dr Jonathan Fielding, said 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.”

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.

Ten to 20 Americans contract plague each year, mostly in rural communities. About one-in-seven cases is fatal, according to federal statistics.

The last human cases of plague in Los Angeles County occurred in 1984 when three people contracted the disease. Two of those cases were travel-related and the third involved a person exposed to a sick animal. All three survived.

The last major urban outbreak in the US occurred in Los Angeles in 1924-’25, when at least 30 people died.

In California, bubonic plague is prevalent among squirrels in the Angeles National Forest and other parks. Health officials regularly warn campers and hikers to take precaution against the disease by avoiding infected animals.

The plague is considered a bioterrorism agent and state law requires that doctors report suspected cases to local health departments.