An Oregon health authority confirmed that a local resident of Deschutes County contracted the bubonic plague, likely from their symptomatic pet cat.
Bubonic plague was responsible for tens of millions of fatalities across Europe and Central Asia during the Black Death, one of the deadliest events in human history. Nowadays, the plague is easily treated with antibiotics as long as the infection is caught early enough.
Thankfully for the Oregon resident who was infected, “this case was identified and treated in the earlier stages of the disease, posing little risk to the community.”
The Deschutes County Health Services announced the positive case of plague on Feb. 7.
“All close contacts of the resident and their pet have been contacted and provided medication to prevent illness,” said Dr. Richard Fawcett, a health officer with Deschutes County.
No additional cases of bubonic plague have been reported.
Oregon public health officials also noted that pet cats “are highly susceptible to plague, and infected cats can transmit the bacterium to humans.”
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If possible, officials advise cat owners to discourage their pets from hunting rodents.
The last case of bubonic plague in Oregon occurred in 2015, so the disease is considered rare by the Oregon Health Authority. Bubonic plague is usually transmitted to humans via a bite from an infected flea or through contact with an infected animal.
“The most common animals to carry plague in Central Oregon are squirrels and chipmunks, but mice and other rodents can also carry the disease,” public health officials wrote.
Plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis and infected individuals typically start presenting symptoms one to seven days after exposure, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
While cases of the plague that are caught early are easily treated, the disease can still be deadly. About 30 to 60 per cent of people die after becoming infected, WHO states.
Plague “is always fatal for the pneumonic kind when left untreated,” the agency adds.
Bubonic plague, which affects the lymph nodes, is the most common form of plague. However, the disease can progress into septicemic plague, infecting the bloodstream, or pneumonic plague, infecting the lungs, which are forms of the disease that are much more severe and difficult to treat. Pneumonic plague can also be spread from human to human via droplets of bodily fluid.
Oregon health authorities shared a list of tips to help prevent the spread of plague, including avoiding contact with rodents and fleas, keeping pets on a leash while outdoors, refraining from camping near animal burrows and wearing long pants tucked into boots while outdoors.
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