Officials in central Oregon reported this week
a case of bubonic plague
in a resident who likely contracted the disease from a sick cat.
The infected resident and his close contacts
have been given medication
, public health officials say, and people in the community are not believed to be at risk.
The cat was also treated but
did not survive.
Plague is not common
, but it is also not unheard of in the western United States, where a few cases occur each year.
It's different from Alaska smallpox
, a recently discovered rare disease that killed a man last month.
Here are some things to keep in mind about what plague is, who is at risk, and how a disease that was once a harbinger of death became a treatable disease.
What is the plague?
Plague is an infectious disease that can affect mammals.
It is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, transmitted by rodents and fleas.
Sunlight and drying can kill plague bacteria on surfaces, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Humans and pets suspected of having plague are usually treated with antibiotics and sometimes with other medical measures.
The bacteria that causes bubonic plague seen under a microscope.
Photo: AP
Plague symptoms can manifest in several ways.
Bubonic plague, the type the Oregonian catches, occurs when plague bacteria
enter the lymph nodes.
It may cause
fever, headache, weakness, and swollen, painful lymph nodes.
It usually occurs from the bite of
an infected flea
, according to the CDC.
Symptoms of septicemic plague occur if the bacteria enters the bloodstream.
It may occur initially or after bubonic plague is left untreated.
This form of plague causes the same fever, chills, and weakness, as well as abdominal pain, shock, and sometimes other symptoms such as
bleeding skin and blackened fingers, toes, or nose.
The CDC says this form comes from flea bites or handling an infected animal.
Pneumonic plague
is the most severe form of the disease
and occurs when the bacteria enters the lungs.
Pneumonic plague adds rapidly developing pneumonia to the list of plague symptoms.
It is the only form of plague that
can be transmitted from person to person
through inhalation of infectious droplets.
All forms of plague
can be treated with common antibiotics
, and people who seek early treatment are more likely to make a full recovery, according to the CDC.
How common is bubonic plague?
In the US, an average of 7 cases of human plague
are reported each year
, according to the CDC, and about 80% of them are the bubonic form of the disease.
Most of those cases occurred in
rural areas of the western and southwestern United States.
A welder in central Oregon contracted it in 2012 when
he pulled a rodent from the mouth of his
choking cat;
He survived
but lost the tips of his hands and feet to the disease.
A Colorado teenager
contracted a fatal case
while hunting in 2015, and Colorado officials confirmed at least two cases last year, one of them fatal.
Worldwide, most human cases of plague in recent decades have occurred in people living
in rural towns and villages in Africa,
particularly in Madagascar and the Congo, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
People can reduce the risk of infestation
by keeping their homes and outdoor living areas less attractive to rodents
, clearing brush and trash piles, and keeping pet food inaccessible.
Ground squirrels, chipmunks, and wood rats can transmit plague as can other rodents, so
people with bird and squirrel feeders
should consider the risks if they live in areas with a plague outbreak.
The CDC says repellent with DEET can also help protect people from rodent fleas
when camping or working outdoors.
Flea control products can help prevent fleas from infecting household pets.
If a pet becomes ill,
it should be taken to a veterinarian as soon as possible
, according to the CDC.
Isn't it the plague of the Middle Ages?
The Black Death of the 14th century was perhaps
the most infamous plague epidemic
, killing up to half the population as it spread across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
It began to devastate communities in the Middle East and Europe
between 1347 and 1351
, and major outbreaks continued for approximately
the next 400 years.
Remains of the dead of the Black Death in Europe.
Photo: AP/file
An earlier major plague pandemic, called
the Plague of Justinian
, began in Rome around the year 541 and continued to erupt for
the next two hundred years.
The
third great plague pandemic began in the Yunnan region of China
in the mid-19th century and spread along trade routes, reaching Hong Kong and Bombay about 40 years later.
It eventually reached every continent
except Antarctica,
according to the Cleveland Clinic, and is estimated to have killed approximately
12 million people in China and India alone.
At the end of the 19th century,
an effective treatment with an antiserum was developed
.
That treatment was
replaced by
even more effective antibiotics a few decades later.
Although plague remains a serious disease, antibiotic and supportive therapy is effective for even the most dangerous pneumonic form when patients are treated early, according to the World Health Organization.