Plague is suspected in the deaths of ground squirrels in the Treasure Valley southeast of Boise, according to a joint announcement today from the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, the Idaho Department of Fish & Game and the Central District Health Department. It’s the second year in a row that the disease has been detected in ground squirrels in the area; officials are asking people to take precautions including avoiding contact with wild rodents and rodent carcasses, and keeping pets away from them as well. Preliminary tests on ground squirrels found dead in desert areas of Ada and Elmore counties have come back positive for plague; additional tests are pending.

Plague is a bacterial disease of rodents that is transmitted through the bites of infected fleas and can cause serious illness to people and pets if not treated quickly. Since 1940, only five human cases of plague have been reported in Idaho; the last two were in 1992 and 1992, and both patients fully recovered. In 2015, an Idaho dog tested positive for plague after exposure to a ground squirrel; the dog recovered after medical treatment. The agencies note that rodents likely to contract plague include ground squirrels, rats, voles and mice, but tree squirrels in Idaho are not known to carry plague.

There’s more info online here.