NEW MEXICO HAS ITS FIRST CASE OF PLAGUE FOR 2018…A DOG IN SANTA FE COUNTY. THERE HAVE BEEN NO HUMAN CASES SO FAR. EPIDEMIOLOGIST SANDRA MELMAN WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SAYS NO STATE HAS MORE HUMAN PLAGUE CASES THAN NEW MEXICO…BUT IT’S STILL QUITE RARE, HAPPENING TWO TO FIVE TIMES A YEAR, ON AVERAGE:
THERE WERE FOUR HUMAN PLAGUE CASES IN NEW MEXICO LAST YEAR, AND ALL OF THE PATIENTS RECOVERED. HUMANS AND PETS USUALLY GET THE DISEASE THROUGH THE BITES OF INFECT FLEAS. MELMAN SAYS IF YOU HAVE AN OUTDOOR PET, IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE IT ON A FLEA CONTROL PRODUCT.
