For my news piece I chose “Public Health Officials Investigate Human Plague Found in Child Camping in Yosemite National Park” which was presented on NBC Bay Area News. The human Plague was found in a child. The California Department of Public Health screened the Stanislaus National Forest to see how far it had spread. Before that, another case had happened in 2006. Exposure to fleas from a dead animal, possibly a rodent, is what is suspected to have infected the child. There were many steps taken to see if they could determine where the child got the plague.
It was in the middle of July 2015 at Crane Flat Campground which is located in Yosemite National Park. The number of rodents and potential carriers, along with the warm time helped to increase the number of fleas. Squirrels, chipmunks and other rodents are often carriers. Fleas bite these animals and spread the plague to humans and others. These are possible ways of getting the plague. Though it is under control in most areas in some places where the health care is not as effective, there is more of a risk of the plague.
The California Department of Public Health advises avoiding wild rodents. Dead ones should not be touched, nor should living ones. They should not be fed. Yosemite Park posted signs alerting the public. It was encouraged to keep rodents out of human living areas. Avoid rodent burrows. Tucking long pants into socks and shoes helps to reduce fleas. Insect repellant (they recommend with 30% DEET) should be sprayed on pant legs and socks.
Information on how to identify symptoms was distributed. Common locations of where animals carry the plague was redistributed to the public. Treatments were done to the location once some signs of potential infection were determined. Each person has to take the responsibility of preventing the plague and other infections by taking some of these simple steps if they are going to go into certain areas safely. Knowing which areas are at risks helps people to know how diligent they should be in certain areas.
There are three forms of the plague which are bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic which often begin to show six days after the person is exposed. Bubonic plague is the most common and well known of the forms, and is often known for its swollen lymph nodes. weakness, headache, chills, vomiting, muscle aches, fever, and nausea are all possible symptoms. Each of the different types of plague additionally have more symptoms and may vary.
Many organizations were involved in trying to track down the source of infection including the California Department of Public Health, U. S. Forest Service, Yosemite National Park, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Where the person had traveled was also being evaluated. It turns out there was a spike of the Plague in 2015. This may have been what had some effect on the spread of the disease in the specified area.
Public Health Officials Investigate Human Plague Found in Child Camping in Yosemite National Park
By Riya Bhattacharjee. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/California-Public-Health-Officials-Investigate-Human-Plague-Case-320928281.html
Plague in Yosemite. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/plague.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment