LA PLATA COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - A mass die-off of prairie dogs in a Colorado county has health officials concerned that it could be the plague.

La Plata County Public Health Department (LPCPH) announced Monday that it was investigating several once-active prairie dog colonies where there was now little to no activity detected.

While for many, the word “plague” conjures up images of plague doctors and the “Bring Out Your Dead” scene from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the scourge of 14th century Europe remains alive and thriving in 21st century America.

But unlike the time of the Black Death, in modern times the plague is highly manageable if caught and treated early.

The plague bacterium -- commonly bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic -- can be transmitted by fleas and wild rodents,

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