Public health departments in Arizona are reporting that fleas are testing positive for the bubonic plague in Navajo and Coconino counties.

“Navajo County Health Department is urging the public to take precautions to reduce their risk of exposure to this serious disease, which can be present in fleas, rodents, rabbits and predators that feed upon these animals,” Navajo County officials said in a public statement posted on Facebook. “The disease can be transmitted to humans and other animals by the bite of an infected flea or by direct contact with an infected animal.”

The plague is notorious for killing millions of people in Europe during the Middle Ages, and outbreaks occasionally happen in the southwestern United States during cooler summers following wet winters, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This disease can be transmitted to humans and other animals from a bite by an infected flea or by direct contact with an infected animal, officials said.

 

Plague symptoms include sudden fever, chills, weakness, headache and one or more swollen or painful lymph nodes. If untreated, the disease can spread bacteria to other parts of the body.

Health officials in Arizona urge residents to take precautions and limit their risk to exposure by avoiding rodent burrows and keeping dogs on a leash.

Cats are highly susceptible to the plague, and officials warn residents in the affected counties against handling sick or dead animals. They also suggest using insect repellents and to wear rubber gloves when cleaning or skinning dead animals.