Health officials have announced that a 16-year-old in Oregon contracted the bubonic plague and is hospitalized.
CNN noted that both the Oregon Health Authority and the Crook County Public Health Department confirmed that the teen girl has been diagnosed the disease and is now recovering in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
The release said that the teen may have contracted it while on a hunting trip Oct. 16. She was hospitalized on Oct. 24 after falling ill a few days earlier.
State and federal epidemiologists are looking into her case.
"Many people think of the plague as a disease of the past, but it's still very much present in our environment, particularly among wildlife,” said Emilio DeBess, DVM, state public health veterinarian in the Public Health Division’s Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section. “Fortunately, plague remains a rare disease, but people need to take appropriate precautions with wildlife and their pets to keep it that way."
The bubonic plague is an infectious bacterial disease carried by rodents and their fleas. Symptoms include high fever, lethargy and swollen lymph nodes. It is treated with antibiotics, but can be fatal if left untreated.