http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/WABC_110602_nycplague.html
Two patients at a New York City hospital have been diagnosed with a dangerous disease not seen in this region in decades. Eyewitness News has learned that doctors at Beth Israel Medical Center are caring for the two people who have the Bubonic plague. The Bubonic plague claimed millions of lives in Europe and Asia in the Middle Ages. Now sources confirm for Eyewitness News the probable presence of the plague in two patients here in New York. The pair is a married couple from New Mexico who were in the city on vacation. Doctors tell Eyewitness News that a microbiology test confirmed their fears that the couple was indeed suffering from the Bubonic plague. The couple has been isolated to prevent the further spread of the disease. Doctors say while the female patient is out of danger, her husband is in extremely critical condition. They say he was admitted with a fever of 105 degrees. High fever is one of the symptoms of the Bubonic plague. The city and state health department were joined by the Centers for Disease Control in their investigation into how the couple contracted the disease. The state health department in Sante Fe, New Mexico, where the couple lives, tested rodents on their property this summer. Apparently many of those rodents tested positive for the Bubonic plague. Doctors say they believe the couple was infected in their home state after sleeping in a sleeping bags that had been outdoors on their property for several weeks. Those sleeping bags are now being tested. Officials say there are 20 to 30 cases of Bubonic plague worldwide each year. If caught early, the disease is very treatable, but it is often mistaken for a cold. If treatment is delayed, the plague can, of course, be fatal. xponent Danse Macabre Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
