Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Odee on May 11, 2007, 08:49:55 AM
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Just when you thought you were safe from the middle ages...
By Patrick O'Driscoll, USA TODAY
DENVER — A rash of squirrel deaths from plague in the middle of Colorado's largest city has heightened surveillance for the deadly but curable disease.
No humans here have been infected with plague, the "Black Death" disease that killed millions in 14th-century Europe. A state hotline gets 50-75 calls daily about dead rodents. Chris Urbina, Denver's health director, says the risk of catching it "is extremely low."
One human case has been reported in the USA this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 49-year-old man in San Juan County, N.M., was hospitalized last week and is recovering. A flu-like illness that occurs most often in lymph nodes or the blood, plague is treatable with antibiotics.
Denver's last outbreak in rodents was nearly 40 years ago. So far, 13 squirrels have been found dead in or near City Park, an urban playground 2 miles from the state Capitol. Two infected squirrels and an infected rabbit were found dead in Denver suburbs.
Plague bacteria are carried by fleas that infect wild rodents, rabbits and cats, usually in rural areas. Plague reached the USA in the 19th century in rats on ships. It exists today only in the West, mainly in four states: New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and California.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Denver | Colorado | NM | Getty | Black Death | City Park | David Mcnew
Infected fleas can jump onto animals or humans. Coyotes, foxes and birds that feed on an infected carcass can transport the fleas but are resistant to plague.
John Pape, an epidemiologist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, suspects that is how it got into town. He says the Denver occurrence is not an "outbreak" but warrants tracking. City workers this week caught 17 squirrels for testing.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reports 10-20 people a year catch plague in the USA. On average, one in seven dies.
"We're always on watch," says Deborah Busemeyer of the New Mexico Department of Health. The state had an above-normal year in 2006: Eight cases and three deaths. Pape says plague is more common in New Mexico than Colorado, where the last death was in 2004, one of three infections that year.
Plague season runs from April to November during periods of moisture and moderate temperature.
Among pets, dogs are resistant but cats are highly susceptible.
"Right now is a good time to keep cats inside," says Diane Milholin, a Denver health inspector. "Your dog is not going to get sick from a flea, but if the flea stays on the dog and decides to bite you, you could get sick."
Source Article (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-05-10-denver-squirrel-plague_N.htm)
OMG! :O panick in the streets! Where are the Goreboiz when you need them? :huh
I recall hearing of cases of the Bubonic Plague in the parks and mountains near the Californicator and Nevadaddy borders back in the late 50's and into the 70's... Must be duh duh duhhhhhhh Global Warming and the President plotting an insidious demise of felines.
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Plague has been endemic in the western US for years where about 10-20 human cases are reported each year. Although it's treatable with antibiotics, the mortality rate is around 20% because of delays in seeking medical attention or diagnosis.
There are periodic outbreaks in wild prairie dogs that wipes out 10,000 or so at a time.
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There's one key difference between now and the middle ages.
Plumbing.
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Originally posted by Sandman
There's one key difference between now and the middle ages.
Plumbing.
Its was from fles that were on all the rats. But you can plame all the waste laying around that made all the rats infest the citys back then.
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(http://kwc.org/blog/archives/resources/2006/jedi.squirrels.jpg)
The true cause of squirrel deaths!
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AHH ha!
Thats what the squirral was doing in my bathroom!
Phaser11
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See Rules #4
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I grew up in Southern Calif and plague-avoidance tactics were standard briefings in the boy scouts and at every nature talk or guided hike given by the park service. The message in essence was "don't feed squirrels" because plague-infested critters are often fearless and will approach people in the same manner as a wild animal that has been fed by humans so much that it's lost it's fear of people, however the sick animal will approach in a very friendly manner and then bite you for no apparent reason. So don't feed the critters.
Of course, people still feed the animals and as a result, it's tough to tell if a wild animal approaching you is just looking for a handout or if it's plague infested and is going to either bite you or get close enough for fleas to transfer to you. That means idiots from the city or who don't believe the warnings get the plague. At that point it's fun to point and giggle and say "well duh!... ha-ha!" but they might pass it to others before they go to the hospital and that's not cool.
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{rings bell} bring out your dead!! bring out your dead!! the dark man is here!! :)
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Originally posted by hyena426
{rings bell} bring out your dead!! bring out your dead!! the dark man is here!! :)
Orrr This popular diddy from the time
"Ring around the rosies
Pockets full of Posies
Ashes, ashes
We all fall down"
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urban legend
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Originally posted by DREDIOCK
Collect all the dead squirrels and feed em to the wetbacks
Kill two birds with one stone :aok
Unfortunately I dont think it would work. Since they are WETbacks and fleas dont like water which is how the plague is spread.
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I hear the survivng squirrels are gathering at the nest of an old black chipmunk and they have dreams of a dark squirrel they call "The Scampering Dude"
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Originally posted by FiLtH
I hear the survivng squirrels are gathering at the nest of an old black chipmunk and they have dreams of a dark squirrel they call "The Scampering Dude"
FOCLMGBO! :rofl :rofl :rofl
Look out steven Kink... I smell a spoof in the coming :aok
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Ring around the rosies
Pockets full of Posies
Ashes, ashes
We all fall down"
ya...funny how many times me and other kids ran around singing that like a happy go lucky diddy..and not knowing its bad history..lol
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"You must travel by night when the moon is full "
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Originally posted by myelo
urban legend
Even Snopes can be off now and again
"Views of the Sceptics
The connection between this Rhyme was made by James Leasor in 1961 in his non-fiction book ' The Plague and the Fire. Some people are sceptical of the plague interpretations of this rhyme, many stating that words in the rhyme cannot be found in Middle English. The sceptics must be referring to the later version of the rhyme, possibly with American origins, the English version is "Ring a ring o' rosies" using the Middle English "o" as a shortening of the word "of". The written word " posies" is first mentioned in a poem called 'Prothalamion or A Spousal Verse' by Edmund Spenser (1552-1599). We believe that this addresses the views of the sceptics.
The original English version is
"Ring Around The Roses, A pocket full o posies, Tisha! Tisha! We all fall down"
Just because the earliest version put down in writing wasnt until the 1800s doesnt mean it did not exist prior to it being put down on paper and would not be at all surprising inasmuch as much of the populous didnt know how to read nor write. and often legends stories and the like were handed down verbally from generationt ogeneration for hundreds of years before they were ever put down on paper
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here's why (http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/amroth/RATR/ring.html)
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I always thought it was about a prostitute named Rosie. The plague, huh? Never thought of that.
Well anyways, I'm looking for the squirrels to come back to life and try to kill everyone. Gotta watch out for those squirrel zombies.
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The way it was explained to me was the disease caused a red patch around the cheeks (face) and the posies were stuffed into the pockets of the dead to keep the smell down. Ashes ahes are the burning of the bodies, and the all fall down is that everyone is gonna die.
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Originally posted by FiLtH
The way it was explained to me was the disease caused a red patch around the cheeks (face) and the posies were stuffed into the pockets of the dead to keep the smell down. Ashes ahes are the burning of the bodies, and the all fall down is that everyone is gonna die.
Same here.
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Originally posted by myelo
here's why (http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/amroth/RATR/ring.html)
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Looks more like that persons opinion to me.
While it probably cant be proven as absoute fact it was about the plague.
He hasnt proven as absolute fact it isnt either.
Again. Just because it wasnt written down and mass published. doesnt mean it didnt exist.
Rather then deny outright. he would have been better off labeling it as "unlikely" rather then an outright myth
Some of the stories in the bible for example. Circulated by work of mouth passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years before the Bible was ever written. Yet there are many,perhaps even yourself that would claim that evrything written in it is factual and completely accurate as writeen. Dispite historical, And scientific evendence to the contrary
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I'm so old that I got vaccinated for plague. Four times according to my shot records.
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Originally posted by Suave
I'm so old that I got vaccinated for plague. Four times according to my shot records.
I'm so old I got scars from plankton bites on my arse.
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"You must travel by night when the moon is full "
m o o n that spells moon!!:)
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Im so old I, I got flash burn on Day 1 of creation.
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Originally posted by FiLtH
Im so old I, I got flash burn on Day 1 of creation.
Dayyyyy-amn Now that is m-o-o-n spells OLDE!