Just when you thought we’d had enough….
Mother Nature has decided to rock in the clothes dryer, thanks to a report from the Jefferson County (CO) Public Health Department that a squirrel has tested positive for bubonic plague, reports ABC News.
Humans and other animals can be infected by the plague if they are bitten by another animal or insect carrying the disease. Approximately 7-10 humans are diagnosed with the bubonic plague each year, with case fatality rates around 10%.
The bubonic plague killed approximately 25 million in Europe in the mid-14th Century, and a resurgence in the 17th Century killed 700,000.
The Trump Administration has announced no plans to stop the spread of the plague, keeping with administration policy to not act in the face of a deadly disease. However, a squirrel travel ban is likely being considered.