US officials confirm rare human case of bubonic plague which killed millions of people in 14th-century

The bacteria that causes bubonic plague, a disease that still affects thousands of people globally every year, is not a thing of the past. Although cases are rare in the US, the state of Oregon has just confirmed its first case in eight years, and officials believe it probably came from a domestic cat that also displayed symptoms of the disease. According to Oregon health officer Richard Fawcett, the patient who contracted the plague from their pet became “very sick.”

Typically, an infection of this nature begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, chills, and a headache. However, the recent infection in Oregon had progressed to the point of a draining abscess, known as a “bubo,” which is a rare consequence in today’s world.Thanks to modern antibiotics, the bubonic plague is no longer a deadly disease. The bacterium behind the infection, Yersinia pestis, seldom proves fatal if caught and treated early enough. The patient in Oregon is reportedly responding well to modern medicine, and their close contacts have also been treated to curb the possibility of further spread.

The plague affects respiratory and the lymphatic system

Officials have not revealed how the infection spread from the cat to the owner, but if infected fleas bit the cat, the pet may have brought the fleas home, exposing the owner to the disease. Alternatively, the owner might have come into contact with the cat’s contaminated fluids. Y. pestis primarily infects small mammals and fleas, and depending on how it spreads to humans, either by bites, contaminated fluids, or droplets in the air, it can cause bubonic plague or a blood- or lung-based plague. Bubonic plague is the most common form and involves the lymphatic system, causing swollen and painful lymph nodes that can advance to open, pus-filled sores. If the infection spreads, it can later infect the lungs as well.

The plague was first identified in the US during the early 20th century, brought in through rats on ships. The last urban plague epidemic in the country ended in 1925, but the bacterium took shelter in rural rodent species, causing periodic outbreaks outside of major cities. Today, most cases in the US occur in rural areas of the midwest and northwest, with an average of seven cases reported each year. The last time a case was reported in Oregon was in 2015 when a girl was infected during a hunting trip and ended up in intensive care. No deaths have been reported in the state from the plague in decades.

The bubonic plague is present on every continent except Oceania, but it is most common in places where there are animal reservoirs and a high population of humans, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Peru. The disease can cause severe outbreaks, resulting in the death of hundreds of people. However, the bubonic plague is no longer the deadly disease it once was, compared to the Black Death in Europe during the 15th century and an outbreak in China and India during the 19th century that killed millions. Despite this, a single case in the US can still attract attention due to the plague’s previous notoriety, even if the patient is successfully treated and the contagion is stopped.

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