Bubonic plague case probably contracted illness from their pet cat
US health officials say all close contacts have been informed and treated, with the risk of spread ‘low’.
A bubonic plague case has emerged in a US patient who authorities believe was likely infected by their pet cat.
The unnamed patient was hospitalised with the illness after it had progressed to septicaemic plague, according to Oregon officials.
While cases are rare, the disease-causing bacteria Yersinia pestis that claimed millions of lives in the Middle Ages is still harboured by squirrels, chipmunks, mice and other rodents today.
The latest is Oregon’s first case of bubonic plague since 2015.
