Earth Watch Report - Biological Hazards
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| 26.07.2013 | Biological Hazard | USA | State of California, [Table Mountain Campgrounds, Angeles National Forest] |  |  |
Biological Hazard in USA on Thursday, 25 July, 2013 at 03:11 (03:11 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| A squirrel infected with plague bacteria prompted the closure of popular campgrounds in the Angeles National Forest on Wednesday, according to Los Angeles County health officials. Officials with the county and the U.S. Forestry Service closed the Broken Blade, Twisted Arrow and Pima Loops areas of the Table Mountain Campgrounds near Wrightwood, a small mountain town northeast of Los Angeles. The squirrel tested positive Tuesday. The plague disease spreads to humans through bites from infected fleas. And though the infection had once been called the "Black Death" because it killed millions before the advent of antibiotics, infections today in the U.S. are rare and usually not fatal. "It is important for the public to know that there have only been four cases of human plague in Los Angeles County residents since 1984, none of which were fatal," said Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, the county's Director of Public Health. It is not rare, however, to find plague in the ground squirrels of the San Gabriel Mountains, according to health officials. A squirrel trapped in 2010 near the Los Alamos campgrounds in Gorman carried the disease, as did one in 2007 and two in 1996 from the Stoneyvale Picnic Area near La Canada/Flintridge. Another plague-carrying squirrel was found in 1995 near a campground in Vogel Flats. Officials urged campers, hikers and picnickers in the area to avoid wild animals and particularly ground squirrels, and to make sure all people and pets are protected from fleas. | |
| Biohazard name: | Plague (squirrel ) |
| Biohazard level: | 4/4 Hazardous |
| Biohazard desc.: | Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
Biological Hazard in USA on Thursday, 25 July, 2013 at 03:11 (03:11 AM) UTC.
Back| Updated: | Friday, 26 July, 2013 at 09:43 UTC |
| Description | |
| Health authorities have closed three campgrounds in a forest near Los Angeles after the discovery of a squirrel infected with the plague. County officials and the US Forest Service shut the campgrounds in Angeles national forest on Wednesday after a trapped squirrel tested positive for the disease. "Plague is a bacterial infection that can be transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas, which is why we close affected campgrounds and recreational areas as a precaution while preventive measures are taken to control the flea population," Jonathan Fielding, head of the county health department, said in an advisory. Bubonic plague was known as the black death when it devastated medieval Europe, killing millions, but is now rare, treatable with antibiotics and seldom fatal to humans. There have been just four cases of human plague in LA county residents since 1984, said Fielding. All survived. The shuttered campgrounds, Twisted Arrow, Broken Blade and Pima Loops, are on Table Mountain, part of the San Gabriel mountains, near the town of Wrightwood. The ground squirrel - part of a group so named for preferring to live on the ground rather than trees – was trapped for routine surveillance on July 16. The test result was confirmed on Tuesday. Plague has been identified in the San Gabriel ground squirrel population before. Many in California regard them as pests. | |
Plague-Infected Squirrel Found Near Campgrounds in Angeles National Forest
Despite its deadly history, plague infection is serious but rarely fatal in modern times
By Brandon Lowrey
| Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 | Updated 8:34 AM PDT
A
squirrel infected with plague bacteria prompted the closure of popular
campgrounds in the Angeles National Forest on Wednesday, according to
Los Angeles County health officials.
Officials
with the county and the U.S. Forest Service closed the Broken Blade,
Twisted Arrow and Pima Loops areas of the Table Mountain Campgrounds
near Wrightwood, a small mountain town northeast of Los Angeles. A
single ground squirrel trapped July 16 was found Tuesday to have tested
positive.
The plague disease spreads to humans
through bites from infected fleas. And though the infection had once
been called the "Black Death" because it killed millions before the
advent of antibiotics, infections today in the U.S. are rare and usually
not fatal.
"It is important for the public to
know that there have only been four cases of human plague in Los Angeles
County residents since 1984, none of which were fatal," said Dr.
Jonathan E. Fielding, the county's director of public health.
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