Black Plague in SW Idaho

[OYE]

There have been 3 reports of dead rodents ( voles and or ground sqirrels ) in SW Idaho of late due to bubonic plague. One west of Caldwell Idaho, one west of Boise (between Boise and the Snake river, and one in southern Owyhee County in the vicinity of Riddle, Idaho. The vole population kind of exploded this year. This is an area that the plague is always present but rarely gets noticed.

So if you are thinking about bird or rabbit hunting or doing some predator calling, in particular, in SW Idaho or traveling anywhere in southern Idaho with pets, you will want to take extra precautions this year. Not sure if any pets have turned up with it yet. Update: Looks like one dog so far. OYE

 

[jeepnik]

Here's a very good read, in other words not to technical, regarding plague vaccine.

I recall getting it in the service, but have not done so since. Honestly, it's difficult to get some doctors to administer vaccines for, what they consider unlikely, exposure to diseases.

I finally found a doctor that understood if a patient was willing to deal with side effects vaccinating for various diseases that you may be exposed to in the outdoors is a good idea.

As a side note, I had one doctor suggest that I not go into areas with plague infected rodents. The idiot didn't understand that encompass' all of SoCal. Yep, buy them books send them to school and they still need to be led by the hand.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Plague occurs across about 1/3 of the continental US and all across Idaho. This is nothing new. There are about 7 human cases per year. This is nothing new for Idaho either. You and your pets probably are not more at risk this year or in southern Idaho than they were last year or the year before.

 

[buck460XVR]

There have been 3 reports of dead rodents ( voles and or ground sqirrels ) in SW Idaho of late due to bubonic plague. One west of Caldwell Idaho, one west of Boise (between Boise and the Snake river, and one in southern Owyhee County in the vicinity of Riddle, Idaho. The vole population kind of exploded this year. This is an area that the plague is always present but rarely gets noticed.

So if you are thinking about bird or rabbit hunting or doing some predator calling, in particular, in SW Idaho or traveling anywhere in southern Idaho with pets, you will want to take extra precautions this year. Not sure if any pets have turned up with it yet. Update: Looks like one dog so far. OYE

As Double Naught Spy said, plague in rodents in the western United States is not something new. The majority of human plague victims in the U.S. are not the result of exposure when hunting/hiking in the wild, but due to exposure to rats and mice in their own homes, most times within highly populated urban areas. The explosion of voles in your area may have indeed contributed to higher than normal numbers of rodent deaths from the disease, but odds are it will make little or no difference to the numbers of humans affected. I personally would still be more concerned with catching a disease from ticks than from voles. Still one needs to be aware of the risk and to do what they can to minimize exposure.

 

[OYE]

Plague occurs across about 1/3 of the continental US and all across Idaho. This is nothing new. There are about 7 human cases per year. This is nothing new for Idaho either. You and your pets probably are not more at risk this year or in southern Idaho than they were last year or the year before

I will let you argue with the state and BLM. That's the information they are putting out. Just passing it along. Since we live here I can't think of the last time it was in the news. As far as the vole population exploding, we've noticed that ourselves and had several comment on the irrigation problems they were causing.

If a person thinks it's bunk. Then disregard it. OYE

 

[Double Naught Spy]

If you are going to pass on information from another source, shouldn't you give credit to the source when you knew what it was? Yeah, Idaho has issued a warning, but it was LAST MONTH, LOL.

Here is the warning...
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Plague-in-SW-Idaho-ground-squirrels-prompts-6281322.php
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/media/viewNewsRelease.cfm?newsID=7667

Whether or not is has been in the news does not change the fact that you guys live with plague and continue to do so for decades now. It is really nothing new.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=GfADAAAAIBAJ&pg=7139,7782930&hl=en

So y'all got a few dead rodents. Denver has a dead person, apparently from a rare form of plague. http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/06/20/3861071_man-dies-in-first-of-plague-in.html?rh=1

In looking at the general distribution of plague in the US, here are other recent warnings...
http://www.12news.com/story/news/12...plague-confirmed-in-flagstaff-fleas/25381909/
http://www.ibtimes.com/bubonic-plag...ly-yersinia-pestis-bacteria-following-1871998
http://www.9news.com/story/news/health/2014/08/21/plague-found-in-boulder-county/14379025/
http://timesofsandiego.com/life/2014/09/23/hikers-warned-county-traps-squirrels-plague/
http://www.todayinpetnews.com/2015/05/new-mexico-issues-plague-tularemia.html

Plague is an ongoing and low level concern throughout much of the western US.

 

[Art Eatman]

Aren't fleas the actual vector?

Rodent dies, fleas hop off and look for a new host.

 

[Coyote3855]

Larimer County Colorado just reported its first plague case since 1999. Authorities speculated the man "may have contracted the disease from fleas on a dead animal on family land." The guy died. This was in today's (6/21/15) issue of the Cheyenne Tribune Eagle. Edited to add: This the same case Double Naught linked to, but the death was in Larimer County (think Fort Collins), not Denver.

Yeah, fleas are the vector. Plague cases and deaths are rare, but i'm super cautious around dead animals. We shoot a lot of ground squirrels and dispose of them so the dogs don't get near them, and see the occasional dead cottontail.

 

[OYE]

If you are going to pass on information from another source, shouldn't you give credit to the source when you knew what it was? Yeah, Idaho has issued a warning, but it was LAST MONTH, LOL[/QUOTE


You are correct on that ! Absolutely correct!

Whether or not is has been in the news does not change the fact that you guys live with plague and continue to do so for decades now. It is really nothing new.

You are absolutely correct again. We live with plague on a daily basis here.



We definitely made an error by posting this thread. Hopefully one of the moderators will take this down. PLEASE TAKE IT DOWN !!!!!!!! OYE

 

[oneounceload]

When I lived out West, Tahoe's ground squirrels and chipmunks were automatically assumed to be carriers and all were warned to stay away from any of them, especially the dead ones. Been that way out West for forever......

 

[Davek1977]

Plague is commonplace here in SOuth Dakota, especially among prairie dogs. Its never been anything I've been overly concerned with. In the grand scheme of things, its far from the top of the list of my worries, even regarding outdoor diseases