 
That’s right, New Mexico. There’s Bubonic Plague deaths in New Mexico. Ready for that fenc… never mind.
From CNSNews:
Albuquerque, N.M. (AP) – New Mexico health officials say an 8-year-old boy has died after contracting bubonic plague and his 10-year-old sister, who also contracted the illness, is hospitalized and recovering.
The state Health Department announced the boy’s death Thursday, saying the siblings’ cases are the first human plague cases in the nation so far this year.
Health officials are conducting an environmental investigation at the family’s Santa Fe County residence to determine if there is any ongoing risk to people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says an average of 10 to 15 persons contract the plague each year in the United States. Modern antibiotics are an effective treatment.
So don’t worry, we average ten to fifteen Bubonic Plague deaths a year.
But we’re not becoming a third world country.
Bubonic plague is successfully easily treated with antibiotics. I take it the parents of these children did not have health insurance, and delayed seeking medical help until it was too late. Why is it no one is being charged with criminal negligence causing death?
You don’t need health insurance to get kids treated for serious illness either. Hell I’ve gone to DOCs and other low income clinics when I was poor and could get whatever i needed for less than $50.
I am betting this was a family trying to lay low.
The children likely came from the reservation, where health care is free. The BIA maintains free clinics there. This disease occurs where people come in close quarters with the cute little ground squirrels (chipmunks).The fleas from the critters carry the plague.
Hantavirus, even deadlier, is contracted from exposure to deermouse urine, even after it has dried. Both species are endemic in the American Southwest.
I bet this family is shocked. I would hate this to happen to my kids I would be devestated for there death of there child. ;(
The previous comment posters from 2009 are rude, insensitive and naive. Why are some people so judgmental and such know-it-alls? We’ll never understand someone else’s situation unless we live in their shoes.
Just as with adults, the bubonic plague symptoms show itself as a typical flu, which usually just require rest and fluids. The parents would have no reason to suspect their children to have a life threatening disease. Within 2-3 days the plague can quickly change from flu-like symptoms to death.
And it’s a proven fact that many doctors misdiagnose Bubonic Plague, as well as Hanta Virus. The doctors misdiagnosed one of my dear friends, who lives near me in the Manzano Mountains of New Mexico. She lost all her fingers on both hands from the Bubonic Plague just 3 years ago. She was sent home, told to rest and drink fluids for her flu-like symptoms. She almost died, even though she did seek medical attention.
So who do you think should be charged with criminal negligence, Jan??
And by the way, it’s not chipmunks that are known to spread the bacteria, it’s rats, prairie dogs, ground squirrels(which are an entirely different species than chipmunks) and rabbits. Outdoor cats often end up as carriers because they come into contact with the aforementioned mammals.