A Person in Oregon Contracted the Bubonic Plague, Seemingly From a Cat—What to Know
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The Bubonic plague (also referred to as the “human plague” or simply “the plague”) has been detected in Oregon.
The U.S. usually sees 10 or more cases of bubonic plague a year.
Bubonic plague is treatable with antibiotics.
Bubonic plague is best known as a disease that killed more than 25 million people in medieval Europe. But it still exists—and it just showed up in Oregon after someone seemingly contracted the virus from their cat, who also had symptoms of the disease.
Health officials in the state’s Deschutes County shared the news. “All close contacts of the resident and their pet have been contacted and provided medication to prevent illness,” Richard Fawcett, M.D., Deschutes County Health Officer, said in a statement.
Meet the experts: William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Thomas Russo, M.D., a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York; Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Given the bubonic plague’s nickname—The Black Death—it’s understandable to have concerns. But in the modern day, the plague is treatable. Here’s what you need to know about what many call the “human” plague, today.
What is the bubonic plague?
The plague is an infectious disease caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This bacteria is found in many areas of the world, including in the U.S., and affects rodents, certain other animals, and humans.
People usually get the plague by being bitten by an infected flea, the CDC says. However, you can also get the disease by having direct contact with infected tissues or fluids while handling an animal that is sick with the plague or has died from the disease. You can even get the plague from inhaling respiratory droplets after having close contact with humans or cats (or any mammals really) and humans that have a type of the plague known as pneumonic plague.
There are three types of the plague, according to the CDC: Bubonic plague (which is the type that was detected in Oregon), septicemic plague, and pneumonic plague.
Bubonic plague history
Bubonic plague has a scary history. In the 14th century, the bubonic plague killed 25 million people—more than a third of Europe.
Since then, there have been recurring cycles of the plague throughout history. It’s still endemic (meaning, it regularly occurs) in Madagascar, Congo, and Peru.
Cases of bubonic plague do show up in the U.S. from time to time. It was first introduced to the U.S. in 1900 after rat-infested steamships arrived from areas where the plague was common, the CDC says. The plague spread from urban to rural rodents and became entrenched in the western U.S.
Now, the plague usually shows up in two areas: Northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado; and California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada.
There were nine reported cases of the plague in the U.S. in 2020, per the CDC. The biggest year for plague cases in recent history was 2006 when there were 17.
Symptoms of the bubonic plague
Bubonic plague causes lymph node swelling, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “A swollen lymph node is called a bubo,” he explains, which may become rather pronounced with the virus. (Bubonic plague is just explaining that feature of the disease, he says.)
When a person has bubonic plague, they’ll have tender or painful buboes in their armpits, groin, or neck, Dr. Schaffner says.
Other symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, include:
Sudden high fever and chills
Headache
Tiredness
Not feeling well in general
Weakness
Muscle aches
Skin sores (in rare cases)
If someone isn’t treated with appropriate antibiotics, the bacteria can spread to other areas of the body, the CDC says.
When is the bubonic plague deadly?
Before antibiotics were a thing, 66% of people in the U.S. who got the plague died from the condition, the CDC says. As of 2010, the mortality rate dropped to 11%.
The CDC notes that the plague can still be fatal, despite using antibiotics, although it’s less likely to be deadly with bubonic plague compared to septicemic or pneumonic plague cases.
Plague treatments
All types of the plague are treated with antibiotics, says Thomas Russo, M.D., a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. Drugs like doxycycline and tetracycline can help with bubonic plague.
What animals carry the bubonic plague?
The plague mostly affects wild and domestic rodents, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). That can include rats, mice, and prairie dogs. Cats are also “very susceptible,” the AVMA says.
Why? Cats may interact with rodents and pick up infected fleas from them, or bite a rodent and become infected that way, Dr. Schaffner explains.
How worried about this should I be?
Infectious disease doctors stress that most people should not be worried about bubonic plague. “It’s extraordinarily rare nowadays,” Dr. Russo says. Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, agrees. “It is very uncommon,” he says. “However, it does occur in areas in rare occasions where plague is endemic.”
If you want to lower your already low risk that your pet will contract bubonic plague, Dr. Russo recommends keeping cats indoors and using flea medication. “That will help,” he says.
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