A 58-year-old Santa Fe County man has become the first person in the country to be diagnosed with a case of plague in 2011. The state Department of Health would not release the identity of the man Friday, but said he spent a week in the hospital, was then released and is now recovering.

Department of Health veterinarian Paul Ettestad said the man went to the emergency room during the last week of April complaining of high fever, pain in his lower abdominal area and in the groin area of his left leg, which was traced to a swollen lymph node.

Blood from the patient was sent to a state laboratory, which confirmed Thursday that he had the plague.

"He was probably bitten by a flea somewhere on his left leg," Ettestad said.

Ettestad said staff from the department will visit the man's home next week to determine how he may have contracted the disease.

Investigators will look for dead rodents, trap and test live rodents and run flannel through rodent burrows in an attempt to collect fleas for testing.

Ettestad said he could not give specifics about where the man lives, but said department staff will be handing out information about plague to his immediate neighbors.

But he said, "anywhere in Santa Fe County, in any year, there is potential plague activity."

In fact, Ettestad said, because of its diverse populations of both rodents and fleas, plague is more prevalent in New Mexico than in most other areas of the country.

"If you look at cases over the years since the 1970s over half of all the cases in the U.S. have occurred in New Mexico," he said. Other states surrounding the four-corners area also have relatively high rates of plague, he said.

Plague is most often transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas or by direct contact with infected animals including rodents, wildlife and domestic pets.

Plague symptoms in humans include fever, chills, headache and weakness and swollen lymph nodes in the groin, armpit or neck areas. Dogs and cats afflicted with plague usually show symptoms of fever, lethargy and loss of appetite, which may be accompanied with the swelling of lymph nodes under the animal's jaw.

The plague bacteria produces powerful toxins that collect in lymph nodes. The toxins then multiply rapidly and spread through the bloodstream. The plague can also develop into pneumonia, in which case the infected person can transmit the disease to other humans by coughing, Ettestad said. He said pet owners can also contract the disease from their animals through licks, bites or coughs.

About 1 in 7 of all cases of plague are fatal, Ettestad said. If the disease is caught in time, it can be treated with antibiotics.

Some people can recover from the plague without treatment, but about half of those who aren't treated die, he said.

The last case of fatal plague in New Mexico was the death of an 8-year-old Santa Fe County boy in 2009. There were two other deaths in the state from the plague that year, but no reported cases of the disease in 2010.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com


AVOIDING PLAGUE

The Department of Health urges residents to take the following precautions to avoid contracting the plague:

Avoid sick or dead rodents and rabbits and their nests.

Keep pets from hunting or roaming.

Use appropriate flea-control products on pets.

Clean up woodpiles, brush piles, junk or abandoned vehicles where rodents might live.

Take sick pets to the veterinarian promptly.

Put hay, wood and compost far from your home.

Seek medical care for any unexplained illness involving sudden or sever fever.