Washington, D.C., Rats, Disease, Plague, Antibiotics, and Vaccine

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There are a lot of problems in the District of Columbia... beyond the rats that wear suits and ties. It has been mismanaged for years. I have seen quite large rats in the back alleys in the late night there (the ones that carry disease), but the quite large roaches or palmetto bugs were the things that bugged me most. Worse, the problem with pests doesn't take the cake now. Poisoning from city owned lead pipes continues in many old neighborhoods and may never be remediated. It shouldn't surprise people, then, that the D.C. government has been quite up front about it not being able to be in good shape for Y2K. The reality is that the Nation's Capitol is in pretty bad shape today. The possibility of outbreaks of the plague and other diseases, however, are of special concern to those living in or near Dee Cee-- especially in the light of potential disruptions caused by Y2K.

I went to the CDC web site and read up on what they have to say about the plague. Below, is a snipped summary of CDC's information about the source, cause, and prevention of the plague. I hope this is useful in light of recent news about D.C.'s new mayor trying to deal with the alarming rat infestation and their inability to control these pests. If you would like to check this information out for yourself, the URL of the CDC Plague page is http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/PLAGEN.HTM.

There are several varieties (levels of infections) of plague: Bubonic, Septicemic, and Pneumonic. Symptoms of Bubonic plague include enlarged, tender lymph nodes, fever, chills and prostration; Septicemic plague: fever, chills, prostration, abdominal pain, shock and bleeding into skin and other organs; Pneumonic plague: fever, chills, cough and difficulty breathing; rapid shock and death if not treated early. Plague is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, is transmitted from rodent to rodent by infected fleas.

Plague is transmitted from animal to animal and from animal to human by the bites of infective fleas. Less frequently, the organism enters through a break in the skin by direct contact with tissue or body fluids of a plague-infected animal, for instance, in the process of skinning a rabbit or other animal. The plague is also transmitted by inhaling infected droplets expelled by coughing, by a person or animal, especially domestic cats, with pneumonic plague. Transmission of plague from person to person (to date) is uncommon and has not been observed in the United States since 1924 but does occur as an important factor in plague epidemics in developing countries.

Traditionally, the CDC has believed that those most at risk of getting the plague were persons exposed to rodent fleas, wild rodents, or other susceptible animals in enzootic areas of western states-- especially campers, hikers, hunters, pet owners and veternarians. However, rat infestations such as those found in Washington, D.C. may be the source of future incidences. That's why I suspect the new mayor is focusing on the rat problem and hoping to do something before Y2K.

Onset of bubonic plague is usually 2 to 6 days after a person is exposed. Initial manifestations include fever, headache, and general illness, followed by the development of painful, swollen regional lymph nodes. Occasionally, buboes cannot be detected for a day or so after the onset of other symptoms. The disease progresses rapidly and the bacteria can invade the bloodstream, producing severe illness, called plague septicemia.

Once a human is infected, a progressive and potentially fatal illness generally results unless specific antibiotic therapy is given. Progression leads to blood infection and, finally, to lung infection. The infection of the lung is termed plague pneumonia, and it can be transmitted to others through the expulsion of infective respiratory droplets by coughing.

The incubation period of primary pneumonic plague is 1 to 3 days and is characterized by development of an overwhelming pneumonia with high fever, cough, bloody sputum, and chills. For plague pneumonia patients, the death rate is over 50%.

From 1971 to 1995, an average of 13 cases of Plague were reported in the United States. Most of these incidences were reported in Western and Southwestern States-- especially, Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. Obviously, this low rate of incidence is due to the ability of local, state, and national experts to control isolated problems with great speed-- a coordinated effort and speed that might be impacted by Y2K problems.

CDC recommends four techniques for preventing the risk of an outbreak of plague: environmental management, public health education, preventive drug therapy, and vaccines. While environmental management and public health education doesn't seem to be working in Washington, D.C., preventative drug therapy and vaccines remain available for those concerned with a possibility of a plague outbreak during Y2K.

Antibiotics may be taken in the event of exposure to the bites of wild rodent fleas during an outbreak or to the tissues or fluids of a plague-infected animal. Preventive therapy is also recommended in the event of close exposure to another person or to a pet animal with suspected plague pneumonia. For preventive drug therapy, the preferred antibiotics are the tetracyclines, chloramphenicol, or one of the effective sulfonamides. Plague vaccine is available in the United States from Greer Labs, Inc., P.O. Box 800, Lenoir, NC, 28645-0800, telephone (800)438-0088 or (704)754-5327. The vaccine is shipped refrigerated in 20ml vials and should be stored at 2-8 degrees C (35-46 degrees F). According to the CDC, it should not be frozen.

-- Stan Faryna (info@giglobal.com), April 18, 1999

Answers

Stan - excellent stuff - but you neglected to mention the CDC's public enemy number one as regards plague and viral attacks on the human brain - especially on this forum - the dreaded and pesky lesser spotted y2k PRAIRIE DOG

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), April 18, 1999.

Stan,

Thank you very much for the detailed info, especially symptoms and treatment info. This is the type of material we need to learn so we can more accurately treat using medicines we may choose to keep on hand. Of course I recommend a doctor/pharmacist being consulted whenever possible but this is such a serious issue which could affect all of us, we need to be prepared. A few dollars of a variety of BASIC meds along with good information on use can easily mean the difference between life and death (think about plain old aspirin thinning the blood enough to save a mild/moderate heart attack victim - no guarantee but a hell of a lot better than just suffering with no hope). Keep in mind that most people/doctors overuse antibiotics and other meds and they should only be used when really needed.

Sorry for the rambling, I am very pleased to see this kind of info online. Folks, you might want to at least invest in a good medical dictionary (Mosby's makes a good one) with lots of pix and perhaps an older (read, "cheap") edition of the "PDR" = Physicians Desk Reference which has info on all available medicines. Garage sales often have older nursing books with a lot of good info in them, or just lay out $50-100 and buy a couple good new books. Thanks again Stan!

-- Kristi (securx@Succeed.Net), April 18, 1999.


Please note this correction to my summary of CDC info on the plague:

From 1971 to 1995, an average of 13 cases of Plague *per year* were reported in the United States.

Sincerely, Stan Faryna

-- Stan Faryna (info@giglobal.com), April 18, 1999.


Earlier thread on this topic:
Huge Hordes of Rats Infest DC at http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000jRz

-- No Spam Please (No_Spam_Please@anon_ymous.com), April 18, 1999.

... (grumble) ... dumb forum software split up </blockquote> again ... (mumble) ... maybe I have it figured out now ... (grrrr) ...

-- No Spam Please (No_Spam_Please@anon_ymous.com), April 18, 1999.


Thanks for your research, Stan. I know there have been some threads about procuring veterinary-grade pharmaceuticals, but I haven't had enough time yet in my preparations to investigate. Since this gives me another good reason to move antibiotics up on my priority list, does anyone know if veterinary-grade antibiotics include tetracyclines? Do you need a prescription from a vet to get them?

Um, No Spam? The other thread is about a rat infestation in D.C. This thread of Stan's is about the etiology, symptoms, and treatment of plague. There is definitely a connection, but the thread is not redundant.

-- Wanda (lonevoice@mailexcite.com), April 18, 1999.


I intend to stock up on enough flea bomb to do my entire house. Good for pesky grain moths, too.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), April 18, 1999.

Wanda,

Okay, make that "Related thread on this topic:".

-- No Spam Please (No_Spam_Please@anon_ymous.com), April 18, 1999.


No Spam,

Works for me! (Sorry for my earlier, somewhat testy mood)...

-- Wanda (lonevoice@mailexcite.com), April 18, 1999.


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