A rare case of human plague was confirmed in a small rural county in Oregon, USA, last week, marking the first reported case in the state since 2015.
Officials said the infection was probably caused by a pet cat, which showed symptoms of the disease, but all close contacts had been contacted and medication provided.
They said no additional cases had emerged during an investigation, reports CBS News.
In 2020, California reported its first case of plague in five years – the patient recovered – while two fatal cases had been reported in Colorado in 2015.
Plague, which caused millions of deaths across Europe in what became known as the Black Plague during the Middle Ages, is caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium found in rodents and their fleas.
While the bacterial infection is still around today, it is rare, and can be successfully treated with antibiotics.
There are three types – septicaemic, pneumonic and bubonic – with the latter being the most common form, accounting for around 80% of cases in the US.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 496 cases of plague were documented in the US between 1970 and 2020.
People typically get the plague after being bitten by an inflected flea or handling an infected animal, and cats and dogs can also lead to human infections. Cats are particularly susceptible to getting sick, and have been linked to several cases of human plague in America in recent decades.
CBS News article – Rare case of plague is confirmed in Oregon (Open access)
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