The Bubonic Plague Resurfaces in Oregon: First Case in Eight Years
The Bacterium Behind the Disease Still Poses a Threat
The bubonic plague might sound like an affliction of the past, but the bacterium behind the disease, known as Yersinia pestis, continues to cause thousands of human infections worldwide. Although cases in the US are relatively rare, Oregon health officials have confirmed the first case of the plague in the state in eight years. To make matters worse, it is believed to have been transmitted to a domestic cat, which also showed symptoms.
Unusual Symptoms and Modern Treatments
According to Oregon health officer Richard Fawcett, the patient who contracted the plague from their cat became “very sick.” While a typical infection starts with flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, fever, chills, and a headache, the recent case in Oregon presented with a rare outcome. The infection had progressed to the point of a draining abscess, known as a “bubo.” Fortunately, due to the availability of modern antibiotics, the lethality of the bubonic plague has significantly decreased. Hence, with early detection and treatment, the bacterium rarely proves fatal.
Containment Efforts and Possible Transmission
The patient in Oregon is reportedly responding well to modern medicine, and their close contacts have also been treated to prevent any further spread of the disease. Officials are investigating how the infection spread from the cat to its owner. One possibility is that the cat was bitten by infected fleas, which the pet then carried home, thereby exposing the owner. Another is that the owner came into contact with the cat’s infected fluids. Yersinia pestis primarily infects small mammals and fleas and can spread to humans through bites, contaminated fluids, or droplets in the air, causing either bubonic plague or a blood- or lung-based plague.
The History of the Plague in the USA and Current Global Presence
The bubonic plague was first identified in the US during the early 20th century when it was introduced by rats on ships. While the last urban plague epidemic in the US was in 1925, the bacterium persisted in rural rodent populations, resulting in occasional outbreaks in rural areas of the midwest and northwest. Typically, the US reports an average of seven cases per year, with rural areas being the most affected. The last case in Oregon was reported in 2015 when a girl was infected during a hunting trip. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported in the state from the plague for several decades.
Besides the US, the bubonic plague remains present on every continent except for Oceania. Notably, the disease is more prevalent in areas with overlapping human populations and resident animal reservoirs, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Peru. Severe outbreaks of the bubonic plague can claim hundreds of lives, although it is crucial to stress that the disease no longer possesses the devastating power it exhibited during the Black Death in 15th century Europe or 19th century outbreaks in China and India.
A Case that Catches the Headlines
Even with its diminished international threat, a single case of the bubonic plague in the US can still grab attention. The successful treatment of the patient in Oregon, with the contagion effectively halted, shows the advancements in modern medicine’s capabilities to combat historically deadly diseases.
