Bubonic plague discovered in one of Sask’s national parks

A black-tailed prairie dog in Grasslands National Park has been found to be carrying the bubonic plague, the same plague said to have killed millions in Europe during the Middle Ages.

The disease, which is also called the sylvatic plague, is carried through fleas, which can jump onto other species and humans. It can be spread through animal bites.

Humans face a low risk of catching the disease, which unlike the 14th century is easily treatable. There are now antibiotics for people who catch the disease.

"Our last case in Canada was in 1939, so the human health risk is considered very low and they get about 10-20 cases a year in the US," Phil Curry from the Ministry of Health said.

Parks Canada suggests visitors use insect repellent as a precaution, and not walk through prairie dog habitats.