Video: Girl catches bubonic plague on camping trip

9news.com

A girl has been diagnosed as suffering with the bubonic plague after a camping trip in Colorado.

Sierra Jane Dowling was airlifted to the Presbytarian St Luke's Medical Centre, and arrived with a temperature of 107 degrees, suffering a seizure.

Doctors Jennifer Snow and Wendi Drummond managed to diagnose the plague, even though Dr Snow said she "had never seen a case of it before", according to 9news.com.

Dr Snow added: "She had a high heart rate and low blood pressure. It all originally pointed to signs of what's called septic shock."

The doctors quickly administered the antibiotic gentamicin and, after two days, Sierra started to feel a little better.

Both the doctors believe the girl contracted the disease during her camping trip in Pagosa Springs. Her parents said she had been near a dead squirrel, which may have contained fleas - a common transmitter of the plague.

Only a handful of cases of the plague are reported each year in America, and not one had been recorded in Colorado since 2006.

Dr Snow said: "You learn about it in medical school during microbiology, but I had never seen a case of it before."

Dr Drummond added: "It's one of those things that you don't necessarily expect to see, but it's definitely one of those things you don't want to miss."

The plague kills around two thirds of infected people within four days without treatment, according to the Daily Mail.

In the 14th century, it earned itself the nickname 'The Black Death', after wiping out around 25 million people across Europe.




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