- Hello, Jeff - The article does not give very much information,
however, Eric York, age 37, was a biologist who should have known the symptoms
of plague. Why would he not seek treatment immediately? This
is strange. We may need to add Eric York to the list of dead microbiologists.
-
- Park Service Says Biologist Likely Died Of
Plague
-
- PHOENIX -- A wildlife
biologist at Grand Canyon National Park likely died from the plague through
his exposure to wild animals that can carry the disease, the National Park
Service said Friday. Eric York, 37, was found dead in his home Nov. 2.
Following his death, about 30 people who came in contact with him were
given antibiotics as a precaution.
-
-
- While authorities were uncertain about how York became
infected, officials said that the biologist was at a greater risk to the
sometimes-fatal disease through his exposure to wild rodents and mountain
lions.
-
-
- Park Service officials initially said they suspected
the plague or hantavirus, another sometimes-fatal disease endemic to the
Southwest, because of York's interests and hobbies. Health officials in
Arizona warned in September that the plague appeared to be on the rise
and that more cases were likely after a woman was infected with the disease.
-
- While Arizona health officials say the disease appears
to be on the rise in the state, CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell said plague
cases were not on the rise nationally. Plague is transmitted primarily
by fleas and direct contact with infected animals. When the disease causes
pneumonia, it can be transmitted from an infected person to a non-infected
person by airborne cough droplets.
-
-
- Cases are treatable with antibiotics, but the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention reports that up to 50 percent are fatal
if the disease causes pneumonia. The Medical Examiner has said York's lungs
were filled with fluid and his body showed signs of pneumonia.
-
- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
-
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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