Squirrel Tests Positive For Bubonic Plague In Colorado

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Squirrel Bubonic plague

A squirrel from Colorado has tested positive for bubonic plague, according to local health officials.

They said that the infected squirrel is the first case of plague in The Town of Morrison, about 17 miles southwest of Denver.

With reports claiming that coronavirus cases are soaring past the 3.3 million mark, news on the ‘comeback’ of the deadliest pandemic in history, is causing quite a stir.

RT reports: The discovery of the infected rodent was announced by the Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) body. The squirrel is the first case of plague in the county this year, the authority noted.

“Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and can be contracted by humans and household animals if proper precautions are not taken,” the JCPH warned.

The dreaded disease, which decimated the world’s population at least three times during massive pandemics over the course of history, is extremely rare nowadays. Between 1,000 and 2,000 cases of the plague are still registered worldwide each year, coming primarily from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the US, the infection is particularly rare with around 1,000 human plague cases registered in over a century.

While the probability of a full-scale outbreak of plague on American soil is next to zero, news of the squirrel’s misfortune caused quite a stir on social media, with users well-prepped for disaster by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Many said gloomily that anything bad is possible this year, whether it be an outbreak of plague, a zombie apocalypse or a killer meteorite.

More cool-headed users pointed out that the bubonic plague that once boasted a terrifying mortality rate of some 95 percent, is perfectly treatable nowadays. Although, no one is safe from catching other forms of the disease – deadly pneumonia and extra-deadly septicemia – if an actual large outbreak occurs.

https://twitter.com/cindaquil_/status/1283118587444682755

Some coronavirus-deniers suggested the plague story is simply a new diversion planned by the government as the Covid-19 pandemic was thinning out. Over 3.3 million cases and nearly 140,000 dead in the US alone are apparently not scary enough statistics.

https://twitter.com/CLR79757423/status/1283118574278791169

The very fact that some random squirrel was caught and tested was also found to be suspicious by some.

Then there were those that didn’t take the story too seriously and stuck to more light-hearted joking about the squirrel’s bad luck, with one suggesting rodents should now all “wear masks” to prevent a pandemic.

https://twitter.com/Inevitable_ET/status/1283019697718390784

6 Comments

  1. Of course this squirrel was tested in a Democratic run lab, right? Now we know what the 3rd phase is folks…. moon landing outfits are not for just Halloween anymore….

  2. Nice looking Squirrel! Love some of the gag images too.. Bubonic plague is endemic in the environment. People won’t get it in any numbers unless we live in poverty and squalor. Coming soon?

  3. They should do like the African president did… test fruits, vegetables, other animals. Everything will test positive, because the tests are bogus…

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