BUBONIC PLAGUE HITS WILD ANIMALS IN MOUNTAIN AREA.

Byline: Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

The first cases of bubonic plague in Santa Clara County since 1976 have been found in several wild animals in the mountains east of Gilroy, says Russ Parman, programs coordinator for the county vector control district.

The plague was detected in May in a bobcat during a routine examination of wild animals around Gilroy Hot Springs, Parman said. In follow-up tests in July, inspectors detected the plague in three of 10 wild pigs and one of six coyotes, which were among 27 wild animals tested, he said. Testing also included fox and bobcat.

``We aren't in a panic situation. We're in a precautionary mode,'' Parman said Friday.

The plague is curable if diagnosed early. In humans, the initial symptoms of bubonic plague include fever, chills, muscle aches, a feeling of weakness and swollen lymph nodes, Parman said. People who exhibit any of those symptoms within seven days of being in a plague area should contact their doctor.

Bubonic plague, which swept Asia and Europe starting in the mid-1300s, claimed the lives of 25 million Europeans by 1400. An outbreak of the plague in London in 1665-66 took 100,000 lives.

The plague has not been eradicated, but lives today in a variety of animals. There are a half-dozen plague hot spots in California where plague-infected animals are watched closely.