Plague
Plague is usually acquired from the bites of fleas
infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Fleas become infected by feeding on
rodents, such as chipmunks, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, mice, and
other mammals that are infected with the Yersinia pestis
bacterium. These fleas can then transmit the bacteria when they
subsequently bite humans. Less commonly, plague can be acquired from
being bitten or scratched by infected animals or by handling carcasses
of animals (often rodents or rabbits) that had been infected. Persons
can also become infected by inhaling respiratory droplets from a
coughing person who has plague pneumonia. Although a handful of people
in the western USA become infected each year, plague has never been
reported in Wisconsin
The typical sign of the most common form of human plague
is a swollen and very tender lymph node, accompanied by pain. The
swollen node is called a "bubo" (hence the term "bubonic
plague"). Besides the swollen lymph node, bubonic plague symptoms
include fever, chills, headache, and extreme exhaustion. A person
usually becomes ill with bubonic plague 2-6 days after being infected.
When bubonic plague is left untreated, plague bacteria invade the
bloodstream. When plague bacteria multiply in the bloodstream, they
spread rapidly throughout the body and cause a severe and often fatal
condition. The other form of human plague is called pneumonic plague.
This is an infection of the lungs with the plague bacterium, causing a
very severe respiratory illness.
General information
This is a Wisconsin Disease Surveillance Category I
disease:
Report IMMEDIATELY by TELEPHONE to
the patient's local public health department upon identification of a
confirmed or suspected case. The local health department shall then notify the
state epidemiologist immediately of any confirmed or suspected cases. Submit a
case report within 24 hours submit a case report electronically through the Wisconsin Electronic
Surveillance System (WEDSS), by mail or fax using an Acute and Acute and Communicable Disease Case
Report F44151
(PDF, 167 KB), or by other means. DHS
Communicable Disease Reporting
Plague
fact sheet (PDF,
24 KB) Hmong (PDF,
16 KB) Spanish (PDF,
20 KB)
Information for health professionals
Wisconsin case reporting
and public health follow-up guidelines: Plague
EpiNet (PDF, 34 KB)
CDC Plague (Exit DHS)
Infectious Disease Society of America (Exit DHS)
Contacts
Wisconsin
Local Health Departments - Regional offices - Tribal agencies
PDF:
The free Adobe Reader® software is needed to view and
print portable document format (PDF) files. Learn
more
Last Revised:
June 13, 2012 |
