Plague returns, infects humans in the U.S.

In Deschutes County, a rural area of Oregon, a man was diagnosed with plague, marking the state's first human case in over eight years, health officials announced.

Deschutes County Health Services stated that the man, who developed symptoms, likely contracted the disease from his domestic cat.

Humans usually get exposed to plague through bites from fleas carrying the "Yersinia pestis" bacteria. Domestic pets can also become infected if they hunt or come into contact with infected rodents or are bitten by infected fleas.

Pets can then transmit the infection to humans through bodily fluids like tissue or respiratory droplets from coughing. Alternatively, they may bring infected fleas into the home. Cats are particularly susceptible to plague because they struggle to clear the infection and are more likely to chase and catch rodents.

Although plague is much rarer in dogs, in 2014, Colorado reported four plague cases among people who had close contact with an infected pit bull terrier, including the dog's owner and two veterinary clinic workers.

Dr. Richard Fawcett, a health officer in Deschutes County, noted that the cat involved in the recent case was "very sick" with a discharging abscess, indicating a significant infection.

Fawcett explained that the owner's infection likely started in a lymph node, known as "bubonic plague," and had progressed into the bloodstream by the time he was hospitalized. He added that the patient "responded very well to antibiotic treatment."

Fawcett also mentioned that doctors administered antibiotics to people who had been in close contact with the patient to prevent the symptoms of potential infections.

Oregon's last human plague case was reported in 2015 when the state health department indicated that a young girl likely contracted the infection from a flea bite during a hunting trip.