An Oregon resident contracted bubonic plague from a “severe” pet cat, the first person in the state to become infected with the Black Death bacteria since 2015. According to local health officials.
plague bacterium, plague bacterium, which is mysteriously widespread in the United States infecting various species of rodents and their fleas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average number of human infections per year is 7, with a range of 1 to 17. The CDC notes that cases tend to cluster in two areas. One hotspot spans northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado, and the other spans California, western Nevada, and southern Oregon.
Oregon’s new case was in central Deschutes County. Fortunately, the infection was caught early, before it developed into a more serious systemic bloodstream infection (septic plague). However, according to Local officials spoke to NBC News, Some doctors noticed that the person started coughing during treatment at the hospital. This may indicate progression to pneumonic plague. Pneumonic plague is a more life-threatening and more contagious type of plague that spreads through respiratory droplets. Nevertheless, this person’s case reportedly responded well to antibiotic treatment and is recovering.
Health authorities worked to prevent the spread of the disease. “All close contacts of residents and their pets have been contacted and provided medication to prevent the disease,” Deschutes County Health Officer Richard Fawcett said in a news release.
Fawcett told NBC News that the cat was “very sick” and had an abscess, indicating a “pretty serious” infection. The person may have contracted the disease by contracting plague-infected fleas from a cat or by directly handling a sick cat or its bodily fluids. If the lymph nodes become infected, symptoms usually appear 2 to 8 days after exposure. Early symptoms include a sudden onset of fever, nausea, weakness, chills, muscle pain, and/or visible swollen lymph nodes called buboes. If left untreated, the infection progresses to sepsis or pneumonia.
It’s unclear how or why the cat became infected. However, cats are particularly susceptible to plague and are considered a common source of infection in the United States. This animal can become infected from fleas or kill or eat infected rodents if left roaming outdoors. Dogs can also get infected from fleas and other animals, but Less likely to develop clinical diseaseaccording to the CDC.
Although cases of plague are generally rare in the United States, Deschutes County Health Services provided some general tips to avoid contracting the deadly bacteria. This means avoiding contact with fleas and rodents, especially those that are sick, injured, or dead. Keep your pets on a leash and protect them with flea control products. Try to keep rodents away from your home and other buildings. Avoid areas with lots of rodents when camping or hiking, and wear insect repellent to prevent fleas when outdoors.
According to the CDC, there were 496 cases of plague in the United States between 1970 and 2020. And between 2000 and 2020, the CDC counted 14 deaths.
