Plague emerges in Grand Canyon, kills biologist

[bijou]

One day last October, Eric York lugged the carcass of an adult mountain lion from his truck and laid it carefully on a tarp on the floor of his garage.
The female mountain lion had a bloody nose, but her hide bore no other signs of trauma. York, a biologist at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, found the big cat lying motionless near the canyon's South Rim. He was determined to learn why she died.
Because the park lacks a forensics lab, he did the postmortem in his garage, in a village of about 2,000 park employees.

Epidemic experts can only speculate about what happened next. When York cut into the lion, he must have released a cloud of bacteria and breathed in. On Nov. 2, York was found dead, a 21st-century victim of plague, the disease that in the Middle Ages turned Europe into a vast mortuary. He was 37.

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[mamacags]

In this article they make it sound like the end of the world.  The truth is that the plague has never gone away.  It emerges every year mostly in SW states.

[franksolich]

For the record, plague seems reasonably prolific in the socialist paradises of the workers and peasants with free medical care for all.

Or at least such was so circa 10 years ago, when I found myself constantly bumping into obstacles, or policemen, surrounding a village out in the boondocks.

Even despite my blue-and-gold passport, a sure ticket into places one wasn't supposed to go, with some vodka or currency lubrication, of course, I was shoved away, and in two cases, actually driven away (in a motor vehicle).

It's in those 27 diaries I kept, but I'm not about to go to town to look it up; I think such happened to me seven or eight times, my bumping into plague there.

[MrsSmith]

Fortunately, their investigation found only 49 people who had come in contact with York. All were treated with antibiotics. None became ill, says David Wong, a National Park Service epidemiologist.

This is why we don't panic.   

[Duke Nukum]

I don't know, I'm no biologist but if I saw a dead lion with no visible signs of attack, and it was the Southwest, I would just assume plague or some other deadly disease and let it be.  Or maybe point it out to a ranger, who  I would assume would also assume it was plague or some other deadly disease.

Same if a wild animal, like a squirrel, came up to me acting all docile and not running away.  If animals are exhibiting unusual behavior, it's usually some sort of deadly disease.  Or the end of the world, but that usually doesn't happen so I would go with deadly disease and just assume it is communicable until otherwise confirmed.

[miskie]

its an unusual article to say the least - I knew the plague could be carried by rodents, birds, and of course, man, but I had no idea other species were also susceptible. As for the almost implied "the sky is falling" part, the plague affects something like six or so people a year in the USA. With most victims getting treatment fairly early its usually nonfatal.

[Ptarmigan]

Bubonic plague cases happen sporadically in the Southwest. You get it from a rodent or flea. It is not that contagious, but requires quarantine because a pneumonic form can develop and it is very contagious and deadly if left untreated. Plague is treatable and there is even a vaccine out there. 

[rich_t]

I don't know, I'm no biologist but if I saw a dead lion with no visible signs of attack, and it was the Southwest, I would just assume plague or some other deadly disease and let it be.  Or maybe point it out to a ranger, who  I would assume would also assume it was plague or some other deadly disease.

Same if a wild animal, like a squirrel, came up to me acting all docile and not running away.  If animals are exhibiting unusual behavior, it's usually some sort of deadly disease.  Or the end of the world, but that usually doesn't happen so I would go with deadly disease and just assume it is communicable until otherwise confirmed.

Well... there you go again, bringing up common sense.

[Hawkgirl]

eerie.  My cats are indoor and they don't have fleas...otherwise, paranoia would have set in after reading this thread...

[DumbAss Tanker]

The hanta virus is a much more threatening proposition, and would have given me pause about messing with a dead animal there, though I am not positive cats are susceptible to it.  Plague and leprosy (which armadillos can harbor) are both bacterial and will respond to antibiotics, you're mostly just screwed if you get a hanta virus infection.

[jinxmchue]

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavendar/sidjames/210/plague.wav

[lastparker]

Interesting article.....  although I'm currently living in fear of the Obamic plague.  There won't be an antidote for four years.

[PatriotGame]

In this article they make it sound like the end of the world.  The truth is that the plague has never gone away.  It emerges every year mostly in SW states.

Oh, so what you are saying is that every year there are an abundance of liberals that appear in the SW states. 
Good damn thing I live in Oregon and only travel as far south as Idaho and Las Vegas.

[Ptarmigan]

The hanta virus is a much more threatening proposition, and would have given me pause about messing with a dead animal there, though I am not positive cats are susceptible to it.  Plague and leprosy (which armadillos can harbor) are both bacterial and will respond to antibiotics, you're mostly just screwed if you get a hanta virus infection.

Leprosy can be treated if detected early. Also, it is not really that contagious person to person.

[Wineslob]

Talk about a Badcat.............................................................