Plague warning issued

Monday, Nov. 10, 2003 | 11:23 a.m.

Clark County Health District officials are warning people to avoid contact with rodents and other wild animals in the Mount Charleston area after four gray foxes tested positive for plague.

Plague is an acute bacterial illness frequently found in wild animal populations throughout mountain ranges in the Western United States but rarely in humans.

Bubonic plague, the most common form found in humans, is transmitted by the bites of infected fleas. Symptoms of the disease include swollen glands, fever, chills and extreme fatigue.

Health District officials recommend people use insect repellent when visiting Mount Charleston. Pets should be protected with flea and tick collars, and domestic cats should be kept indoors.

About 2 million people visit the Mount Charleston area each year, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

There have been five cases of human plague in Nevada since 1978, with the most recent case occurring near Carson City in 1992.

An estimated 14 percent of all plague cases in the United States are fatal, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more information, or to report a dead or sick animal, call the Health District at (702) 383-1263 or the Forest Service at (702) 515-5404.