Plague Facts, Prevention, History, etc.
June 19, 2000
No cause for panic, just more awareness. That's the word from public health officials and doctors after a possible case of plague turned up in Millard County.
A 7-year-old girl was hospitalized last week and health officials are awaiting test results to help them figure out if in fact it's a new case of plague, or something else. News Specialist John Daley traveled to Fillmore and has this report.
Her doctor says little Bailey Mitchell is responding to treatment and appears to be feeling much better. Meantime, health officials say they may not ever know for sure just what caused her to get sick.
There are a number of distinct advantages to living in a rural community. It can be a fun place for kids, with lots of fresh air and open spaces. But along with those things come downsides. Most recently, trouble linked to rodents.
In the last few weeks, two hantavirus cases in Carbon County, with one fatality; a confirmed case of human plague in Washington County; and a case in Millard County that has health officials currently stumped. A few days ago, Bailey Mitchell got sick with plague-like syptoms: A fever, high temperature and swollen lymph glands.
Doyal Mitchell/Bailey's Father: "DEFINITELY ALARM AND CONCERN AND WE JUST KNOW SHE'S IN GOOD HANDS AND HAVE A LOT OF FAITH SHE'LL DO BETTER."
Since then her condition has improved steadily. Still, it's not clear what made her sick.
In other similar cases, health officials go about collecting dead rodents found nearby to test for a number of things, including plague and hantavirus.
Around the Mitchell family farm they found no dead rodents, though the family cat died with plague like symptoms a couple of weeks ago. Health officials wonder if the girl came in contact with a cat or gotten bitten by an insect that had come in contact with an infected rodent.
Meantime, Bailey's doctor and family are relieved that, whatever it was, they appear to have caught it in time.
Dr. Craig Grose/Bailey's Physician: "YES, I THINK BAILEY'S PARENTS WERE VERY DILIGENT IN BRINGING HER IN WHEN THEY REALIZED THIS WASN'T AN ORDINARY STOMACH FLU AND THAT SHE WAS A LITTLE SICKER THAN THEY WERE COMFORTABLE WITH."
Doyal Mitchell/Bailey's Father: "ANYTIME YOU'RE IN THE COUNTRY, I SUPPOSE ANYWHERE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A FEW TO BE AWARE, MAYBE STAY CLEAR OF THEM."
Again, health officials say they don't know if this is a case of plague or not. They do say even if it is, it's not something that gets passed on from one human to another.
But it can be passed on from, let's say, a house cat that kills or comes in contact with an infected mouse. So the key, according to health officials, is to steer clear of rodents and keep them off your property.
