The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced Friday the second reported case of human plague in the state this summer. These are the first cases of human plague in Colorado since 2015.

The case, a resident in a rural Colorado county, was reported to the department on Thursday. The first case was diagnosed in early summer in southwest Colorado.

The two cases have been confirmed to be unrelated and are not suspected to have spread to other people or animals.

In the last 10 years, there have only been 14 reported cases of human plague in Colorado.

The department said that the plague is not uncommon this time of year and can be found in rodents year-round. Plague bacteria were confirmed in rodents in Broomfield, Jefferson and Adams counties, as well as a cat in Elbert County, this year.

The department recommends the following precautionary measures:

• Do not feed or directly handle wildlife
• Keep pets away from wildlife, especially dead rodents and rabbits
• Don’t allow pets to roam freely
• Treat all pets for fleas according to a veterinarian’s advice
• Report sudden die-offs or multiple dead animals to your local health department

For more information, visit the CDPHE’s plague web page.