A La Plata County woman has contracted bubonic plague, according to the San Juan Basin Health Department.
The woman was hospitalized Saturday before she was released to recover at home, Flannery O’Neil, a spokeswoman for the department, said Monday.
O’Neil said the department is investigating how the woman was exposed to the plague.
The last case of bubonic plague in La Plata County — which lies in a region of the nation that predominantly sees the disease — was in 2006. A case was also confirmed in nearby Archuleta County in 2012, O’Neil said.
The bubonic plague is not transferable among humans, but rather is often spread through animals.
Bubonic plague causes sudden onset of fever, headache, chills and weakness, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacterial infection is treated with antibiotics.
“In recent decades, an average of seven human plague cases have been reported each year nationwide,” the department said.
Four other cases of plague — specifically the pneumonic plague — have been reported in Colorado this year. All of those sickened lived in Adams County, according to state health officials.
There have been 64 cases of human plague in Colorado since 1957, nine of which were fatal.
Officials say the best way to protect yourself against plague is to use insect repellent, avoid wild, sick or dead animals and eliminate rodent habitats.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jesseapaul
