BEND, OR (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Officials in central Oregon are monitoring a case of bubonic plague in a resident who likely got the disease from a sick pet cat. The infected resident, the cat and the resident’s close contacts were provided medication. Despite medication, the cat did not survive. People in the community are not believed to be at risk.
Plague isn’t common, but it also isn’t unheard of in the western United States, where a handful of cases occur every year. Humans and pets suspected to be sick with plague are typically treated with antibiotics, and sometimes with other medical measures.
Plague symptoms can manifest in a few ways, depending on the type. Bubonic plague – the kind contracted by the Oregon resident – happens when the plague bacteria get into the lymph nodes. Symptoms include fever, headache, weakness and painful, swollen lymph nodes.
Infection with Bubonic plague usually happens from the bite of an infected flea. The CDC says that if a pet gets sick, they should be taken to a vet as soon as possible.
The Black Death in the 14th century was perhaps the most infamous plague epidemic, killing up to half of the population as it spread through Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa.
