The “plague” is hitting only certain areas of Kern County.
However, the plague as well as Tularemia or “Rabbit fever” or “Deerfly fever” are not expected to strike the valley floor; these diseases tend to attack “fur-bearing” wildlife in the higher elevations, said Claudia Jonah, director of the Health Services Division on Mt. Vernon in Bakersfield.
These higher elevated areas include the High Desert area of Edwards Air Force Base, as well as Frazier Park and Keene, near Tehachapi.
“Kern County is endemic for the plague at higher elevations,” Jonah said.
Several dead rabbits determined to be carrying disease-bearing ticks and fleas were found Aug. 31 around Edwards Air Force Base.
These ailments tend not to strike the more heavily populated areas, Jonah said.
According to Jonah, the plague and Tularemia are both infectious diseases of animals and humans. Tularemia is carried by feral rodents and is caused by the organism Francisella tularensis. Tularemia, also found in feral rodents, is caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis.
Humans can be afflicted with these diseases by tactile contact with a sickened animal or an animal carcass, Jonah said. An infection can be introduced into a human through an open wound, through the bite of a disease-bearing flea or tick abiding on a fur-bearing animal such as a ground squirrel, a rabbit, a bobcat, a kit fox, a rat or a mouse or by swallowing diseased meat. Jonah stated that identifying symptoms include vermillion spots on the skin, swollen lymph nodes, groin or armpits, heightened fatigue, conjunctivitis, joint discomfort, fevers and chills.
Jonah cautioned that depletion of food supplies for the aforementioned animals in their natural abodes may result in relocation for needed resources. However, in any event, “interaction” between feral animals and humans should be nonexistent, Jonah said.
Homeowners, Jonah suggested, should remove possible rodent habitations such as brush and rock and junk pile accumulations. Jonah advised that individuals should wear gloves when handling or skinning fur-bearing animals, particularly rabbits.
People should always inspect their pets for fleas and ticks as well as routinely don protective clothing and deploy licensed insecticides to kill fleas and ticks, Jonah said. Finally, Jonah warned that people should caution their children to avoid coming into contact with feral animals of any type: sick, healthy-appearing or dead. “A wild animal is a wild animal,” Jonah said.