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Plague-infected prairie dog found
REGINA, Saskatchewan, A dead prairie dog found in a national park in western Canada has been determined to be infected with plague, authorities said.
The prairie dog was discovered in Grasslands National Park in southwestern Saskatchewan, CKOM-AM, Saskatoon, reported. The park has banned pets because they could have fleas or ticks that might bite an infected animal and spread the potentially deadly disease.
Park officials have suggested visitors use insect repellent.
Dr. Saqib Shabab, deputy health officer for the province, said plague, once a major killer, is treatable with antibiotics. But he warned the disease can still be fatal if the early symptoms are ignored.
"You get kind of a painful swelling in the area of the flea bite, and you can get a fever or chills," Shabab said.
Plague, spread by fleas from rats to humans, killed one-third of the population in some regions in Europe in the mid-14th century. The disease is endemic among some wild rodents in the western United States and Canada after spreading from Pacific Coast ports.
REGINA, Saskatchewan, A dead prairie dog found in a national park in western Canada has been determined to be infected with plague, authorities said.
The prairie dog was discovered in Grasslands National Park in southwestern Saskatchewan, CKOM-AM, Saskatoon, reported. The park has banned pets because they could have fleas or ticks that might bite an infected animal and spread the potentially deadly disease.
Park officials have suggested visitors use insect repellent.
Dr. Saqib Shabab, deputy health officer for the province, said plague, once a major killer, is treatable with antibiotics. But he warned the disease can still be fatal if the early symptoms are ignored.
"You get kind of a painful swelling in the area of the flea bite, and you can get a fever or chills," Shabab said.
Plague, spread by fleas from rats to humans, killed one-third of the population in some regions in Europe in the mid-14th century. The disease is endemic among some wild rodents in the western United States and Canada after spreading from Pacific Coast ports.