BEND, Ore.- The first case of the bubonic plague in Oregon in 9 years has emerged in Deschutes County.
Dr. Richard Fawcett, the county health officer, confirmed that a resident in the county had been diagnosed with the illness which was referred to by Deschutes County Health Services as the human plague.
The individual, who is the first person in Oregon to be diagnosed with the plague since 2015, likely caught the ailment from their cat. Animals who are susceptible to flea bites and are regularly in close contact with rodents are more likely to carry the plague.
The case in Deschutes County was discovered early. An investigation by health officials found that there isn’t a risk of a public health emergency from the plague, which was limited to a single individual.
The last case of the bubonic plague in Washington was in 1984.
