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American Morning
Bubonic Plague Found in Colorado Prairie Dogs
Aired June 20, 2001 - 11:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Warning signs go up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, after health officials find bubonic plague in some prairie dogs. Now, they're checking to see if a man who lived near the site died from the plague.
We get more on the story now from reporter Scott Sanders. He's with our affiliate KCNC.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT SANDERS, KCNC REPORTER (voice-over): The chirping barks of prairie dogs usually fill this field. But lately neighbors have noticed an unsettling quiet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The other day there was quite a few of them, and now I don't see any.
SANDERS: Because sick prairie dogs can signal something much worse, alerted by neighbors, health officials combed this field looking for ill dogs and fleas. They found both. Tests on those confirm their original fear.
DR. TISHA DOWE, EL PASO COUNTY HEALTH DEPT.: We do now have confirmation that the prairie dog that we picked up out there that appeared ill and died does have the plague.
SANDERS: Worse yet, it may have spread to humans. A man who rides his bike here died suddenly, at age 28, just days before. He was the picture of health.
DOWE: He became ill and died very rapidly, had a fever, headache, sore throat, some symptoms that also go along with plague.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: That report from Scott Sanders with our affiliate KCNC. To get more information about this now, we have Dr. Tisha Dowe. She's with the county health department in Colorado Springs and she's joining us on the phone with the latest on the story.
Dr. Dowe, good morning, thanks for joining us.
DOWE: Thank you.
KAGAN: I understand you are awaiting autopsy results on the man who died?
DOWE: Yes, we are actually moving specimens up to CDC's lab in Grand Junction, Colorado this morning.
KAGAN: And what do you check for when you do that?
DOWE: They're checking to see if there is any of the Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes this disease and they'll be doing some fluorescent antibody tests.
KAGAN: So as I understand it from the piece we just ran, you have found prairie dogs that have had the plague, but you don't know if it has gone on to humans?
DOWE: Exactly. Normally, it's spread to humans through the bite of a flea that's infected from chewing on infected animals, and at this point we don't know whether it's gone to humans. However, this death is suspicious, so we are fully going to investigate it.
KAGAN: So, is it common for prairie dogs or animals like that to still have the plague in this day and age?
DOWE: Oh, yes, there is plague. We know that we have had plague in many areas of the country. It's not uncommon to have the plague in rock squirrels, chipmunks and prairie dogs.
(CROSSTALK)
KAGAN: But what's unusual is for it to transfer to humans?
DOWE: Yes, and people just always need to be cautious anywhere, and that they need to take the precautions of using insect repellents when they go out in wooded areas around the wildlife.
KAGAN: Because it's not actually the prairie dog or the rodent that's giving it to you, it's the fleas that would be on the rodent?
DOWE: It's normally the fleas; however, cats and dogs can become ill. Cats can become ill and have a sore; something that you can get it from cats in that way. If a person becomes very ill with the bubonic plague, and it can become pneumonic in that they can cough up this and transmitted it to other humans in that way.
KAGAN: So, you mentioned precautions. What are some of the precaution that folks in this area of Colorado Springs or perhaps other wooded areas should be taking? You mentioned insect repellent.
DOWE: Yes, and in fact, I would want to emphasize that this is all areas, especially in the Rockies and all. We need to always be cautious. Don't let your pets run out into wildlife areas. That's very important not to feed chipmunks, rock squirrels, do not pick up dead animals that you found, dead wildlife anywhere. They may have been infected. Once the prairie dogs die off in a colony, stay away from there because those fleas will be hungry and could spread it to humans. KAGAN: Now, the man who died, the 28-year-old who died. You said you're still waiting for tests to come back, but there must be something -- his symptoms or something else that makes you suspicious he might have had the plague?
DOWE: Yes, the symptoms that he had could be consistent with those of plague. But We don't have test results back at this point that indicate that it was.
KAGAN: What were some of the symptoms?
DOWE: High fever, headache, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, coughing.
KAGAN: But that could just sound like a regular case of the flu, too.
DOWE: Exactly.
KAGAN: So how do you know if you are dealing with that or dealing with something more serious?
DOWE: Well, that's -- anybody that's been in the areas that they could have been exposed to the plague that has these symptoms should be examined by a physician.
KAGAN: I think we said in the piece that the man was living by the field where this prairie dog was found.
DOWE: Yes.
KAGAN: So, that's the case there.
DOWE: Right.
DOWE: OK, very good. Dr. Tisha Dowe, we expect those autopsy results or those specimen results later today?
DOWE: Sure, maybe around 4:00.
KAGAN: 4:00 your time. OK, we will check back on that. Dr. Tisha Dowe with the health department in Colorado Springs.
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