(WSVN) - It’s a disease that killed millions of Europeans in the Middle Ages, and now the plague has resurfaced in Arizona.
KTVK reports that fleas in Navajo County have tested positive for the plague. That comes a week after fleas on prairie dogs in Coconino County also tested positive for the disease.
Officials said the affected properties will be treated, and they said they will monitor the area.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the plague is caused by Yersinia pestis. There are three types of plague: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. All three types cause fever, chills, muscle pain, headaches, swollen lymph glands and weakness.
Patients contract the illness after handling or being bitten by an animal carrying the bacteria. Doctors say antibiotics are used to treat the illness, but if left untreated, can cause serious illness or death.
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