ALTHOUGH IT’S A RARE DISEASE, THE PLAGUE IS OUT THERE. A 16 YEAR OLD COLORADO BOY RECENTLY DIED OF THE ILLNESS. DR. PAUL ETTESTAD WITH THE NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SAYS OUR STATE HAS HAD MORE THAN ITS SHARE OF HUMAN PLAGUE CASES. HE SAYS OVER THE LAST FOUR TO FIVE YEARS OR SO, ABOUT HALF OF THE HUMAN PLAGUE CASES IN THE U-S HAVE OCCURRED IN NEW MEXICO.
THE PLAGUE IS USUALLY SPREAD THROUGH THE BITES OF INFECTED FLEAS. ETTESTAD SAYS, WITH PROPER TREATMENT THE FATALITY RATE FROM PLAGUE IS ABOUT 7-PERCENT. BUT WITHOUT TREATMENT, IT’S BETWEEN 50 AND 100 PERCENT.
