A flea bite from a hunting trip is believed to be the source of the bubonic plague acquired by a teenage girl from eastern Oregon, according to health officials.
The victim from Crook County was reported to have contracted the disease during an Oct. 16 hunting trip near the city of Heppner in Morrow County. She became ill five days after and was soon hospitalized.
Little is known about the current condition of the girl, who is now staying at an undisclosed hospital’s intensive care unit.
No other individual is believed to have also been infected.
An official statement from the Oregon Health Authority pointed out that squirrels, chipmunks, other wild rodents, and their fleas carry the plague. "When an infected rodent becomes sick and dies, its fleas can carry the infection to other warm-blooded animals or humans through bites,” the agency warned.
Widespread during medieval times, the bubonic plague caused the Black Death that killed about 75 to 200 million people in the 1300s. Today the disease is rarely seen. In recent decades, it has averaged about seven human cases every year in the United States, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Oregon, eight cases have been recorded since 1995, with a zero death toll.
There are three types of plague: bubonic (infection of the lymph nodes), septicemic (infection of the blood), and pneumonic (infection of the lungs).
Bubonic plague is the most common of the three and includes symptoms such as high fever, lethargy, and swollen lymph nodes, which usually develop one to four days after exposure to bacteria.
Antibiotics are used for treating the condition at its early stage. Death is possible in both humans and animals if it is left untreated.
Individuals who display flu-like symptoms are advised to stay home and avoid the unnecessary exposure to others. They are recommended to get in touch with a doctor for prompt treatment, along with pets or other animals that exhibit similar signs.
Health officials also advise against any contact with wild rodents, particularly sickly or dead ones. Feeding of squirrels and chipmunks or exposing them to household pets are discouraged.
