[Activity of the natural foci of plague in the Northern Caucasus in recent years].

During the last two years the natural foci of plague in the North Caucasus were controlled with relatively low intensity. Nevertheless, every year rodents of different species and their fleas, both infected with Yersinia pestis, were detected in all 5 foci. According to the available data, no intensive, expanding epizootics were registered at the period under consideration. In the areas where stable manifestations of plague, irrespective of the density of the population of vector rodents, were observed for decades only a few infected rodents or local epizootics of plague were mainly registered.