COCONINO COUNTY — Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) received a report today of a prairie dog die-off in the Townsend Winona area, northeast of Flagstaff.
A sudden die-off of prairie dogs and rodents can be an indicator of plague, an infectious disease that can affect humans and animals. The bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, is transmitted from the bite of infected fleas or by coming into contact with infected animals. Individuals can also become infected through exposure to sick pets.