Since 2015, an Oregon resident has been identified with the plague for the 1st time. The health officials said that he probably caught the plague from his cat. The case was detected in Deschutes County and a health officer, Richard Fawcett told NBC News that the man responded great to the antibiotic treatment.
At Deschutes County Health Services, a public health program manager, Emily Horton tells to the Oregonian’s Kristine de Leon that the feline turned very sick and died from the plague. However, other locals of Deschutes County, living approximately 200 miles southeast of Portland, did not encounter the huge risk of getting the plague.
Key Takeaways of Oregon’s resident catches rare case of plague, likely from their cat
- Oregan’s resident has been diagnosed with plague.
- It is said that he most likely caught the disease from his pet cat.
- The person was cured with the antibiotic treatment provided to him.
- The cat became extremely sick due to the plague and died from the illness
- The close relatives of the person were informed about the disease and were provided proper medication to avoid infection.
According to the reports of the county health services, the person and his cat’s close relatives were told about their exposure and given proper medication to avoid infection. Richard Fawcett says to NBC News that he would be extremely shocked if we reported any other plague cases.
Plague is an infection which is caused by Yersinia pestis, bacteria. In Europe and Asia, an epidemic of plague known as the Black Death took the lives of approximately 25 million individuals during the 14th century, which is about a 3rd of the area’s population. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), recent antibiotics efficiently treat this disease.
Pet felines have earlier transmitted the plague to people at numerous events. People can catch the plague by touching dirty tissue or fluid from a sick animal or through flea bites. Most probably, the Oregon resident was infected with bubonic plague, which, according to NBC News, signifies over 80% of plague cases in the United States. Furthermore, symptoms of bubonic plague normally grow within 2-8 days and include chills, weakness, fever, headaches, and painful, swollen lymph nodes.
The plague can further grow into septicemic plague, which can lead to bleeding into organs as well as the death of tissues. It can also grow into pneumonic plague, which can result in respiratory failure and pneumonia, according to the CDC. Also, pneumonic plague is the only type of plague that can be transmitted between individuals.
The Oregon case was recognized and treated in the former stages of the infection, resulting in very little risk to society. Likewise, no more cases of diseases have arisen during the transmittable disease examination.
The Department of Health suggests avoiding interaction with fleas and rodents to avoid the transmission of the plague, keeping cats outdoors, and not allowing them to prey on other rodents. Moreover, as per Deschutes County Health Services, chipmunks and Squirrels are the main animals to spread the plague in Oregon.
