'Bubonic Plague' Kills Zoo Monkey in Denver, Colorado

You may have thought that the 'Bubonic Plague' was a disease long extinct, but frighteningly enough that may not be quite right. According to the Associated Press, a monkey housed in a Denver zoo that died last Wednesday tested positive for the disease. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that several squirrels and a rabbit were found dead because of the plague in city park area of Denver, just east of downtown. The monkey was said to be acting tired and lazy by zoo officials before a zookeeper found it dead in its cage. They suspect at this time that the monkey ate an infected dead squirrel.

The plague has been known to kill off entire colonies of prairie dogs in the more rural areas of Colorado during the summer months, but has not hit too close to urban life in Colorado until now.

The remaining monkeys that live in the zoo do not seem to have any traces of the plague in their system at this time. However to be on the safe side, zookeepers have separated the monkeys from each other and given them antibiotics to decrease any further chance of the remaining monkeys catching the disease. It is still a rare possibility that a human will be infected with the disease at this time and zookeepers as well as Denver officials are taking all precautionary methods necessary to defend against a potential disaster.

The most frightening tales of the Bubonic Plague are the stories told from the Middle Ages, where the plague was known to have killed millions and millions of people living in Europe. At the height of the Bubonic Plague's epidemic in Europe it was referred to as "The Black Death".

The Bubonic Plague is known to travel via rodents and fleas, so if by chance a person was bitten by an infected flea he or she could become infected with the sickness. After a person becomes infected, the disease then infiltrates the lungs, making it easier for the disease to be transmitted from person to person through respiratory emissions. If not caught right away, and left untreated, the disease has a 95% mortality rate and will usually claim its victim within one to six days of infection.

Although it is not likely that we will experience a modern 'Black Death', it is still a scary situation that we need to become familiar with and aware of.

For more information on the plague itself check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubonic_plague

Associated Press, "Denver Zoo Monkey Dies of Plague." Fox News.

Url: (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,274573,00.html)