BREAKING: US State Confirms First Human Case Of Bubonic Plague In Over A Decade
We live in a time where not much comes as a shock anymore.
Still, it feels as if the United States has been under constant threat of outbreaks and older diseases resurfacing.
Whether this is all occurring by chance or by design is a constant topic of discussion, but it is vital that citizens know as much as possible about the threats posed.
For the first time in nearly a decade, a case of the Bubonic Plague has been reported in Oregon.
The unidentified person infected is said to have contracted the disease from their symptomatic pet cat.
Deschutes County health officer Dr. Richard Fawcett said that there is little chance that the plague will spread through the community, as the person infected was treated during the early stages of the disease.
“All close contacts of the resident and their pet have been contacted and provided medication to prevent illness,” claimed Dr. Fawcett.
The last confirmed case of the plague in Oregon occurred back in 2015.
Oregon is rocked by first human case of BUBONIC PLAGUE in nearly a decade after being infected by their pet cat: Officials rush to contain virus https://t.co/eOYuwiXkTA pic.twitter.com/DCXNknYVvU
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 12, 2024
Daily Mail reported on Oregon’s first case of the plague in nearly a decade:
Oregon officials are rushing to contain an outbreak of bubonic plague after announcing the state’s first case since 2015.
The unidentified resident is believed to have contracted the plague from their symptomatic cat, health officials said on Wednesday.
‘All close contacts of the resident and their pet have been contacted and provided medication to prevent illness,’ Dr. Richard Fawcett, the Deschutes County health officer said in a statement.
There is little risk to the community as the case was identified and treated in the earlier stages of the disease, Fawcett said.
No additional cases of plague have emerged during the communicable disease investigation, according to officials.
Bubonic plague confirmed in Oregon pic.twitter.com/hRClXrZEuQ
— cagrown5 (@cagrown5) February 12, 2024
Health officials say a resident of a rural part of Oregon was diagnosed with plague, marking the state’s first human case in more than eight years.
The person was likely infected by their pet cat, according to Deschutes County Health Services. https://t.co/MTPqjR4YMp
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 11, 2024
Oregon confirms first case of bubonic plague in almost a decade, health officials say https://t.co/a0sCDVRCde
— GB News (@GBNEWS) February 12, 2024
Oregon officials confirm case of human bubonic plague, say it likely came from pet cat https://t.co/OqcvcbH0Zk
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) February 12, 2024
Here are more details from USA Today:
The disease is spread through the air and contaminated food and the individual was likely infected by a pet cat that had developed symptoms, officials said.
This case was identified and the person was treated by doctors while “in the earlier stages of the disease, posing little risk to the community,” officials said.
They also provided some of the symptoms:
Symptoms of plague usually begin in humans “two to eight days after exposure to an infected animal or flea,” the agency wrote in the release.
The symptoms include sudden onset of fever, nausea, weakness, chills, muscle aches and visibly swollen lymph nodes.
If not diagnosed early, bubonic plague can lead to a bloodstream infection and a lung infection, health officials warned, which are difficult to treat and sometimes can lead to death.
The Oregon Health Authority shared more on the symptoms, which include fever, chills, nausea, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes:
Deschutes County Health Services has confirmed a case of human plague in a local resident. The individual was likely infected by their symptomatic pet cat.
For more information, read Deschutes County news release: https://t.co/7BPi6JE5pA pic.twitter.com/Dd2B3wwdx8
— OR Health Authority (@OHAOregon) February 10, 2024
RELATED:
Surprise New Illness Hitting Cruise Ships: ‘My puke was bright blue’
A mysterious wave of sickness with some very peculiar symptoms has hit a Florida-based cruise line…
Last week, multiple passengers onboard a Carnival Elation cruise ship that embarked from Jacksonville, FL came down with an unknown sickness.
One woman – Miranda Hill from Tifton, GA – reported vomiting bright blue puke, despite not eating anything blue.
She spent half of her cruise trip hooked up to an IV in the ship’s infirmary.
Other passengers, including Hill’s friends and members of her boyfriend’s family, had similar symptoms. Hill claims that one of her friends, “threw up a live parasite.”
Florida cruise passengers sickened by unknown illness: ‘My throw up was bright blue’ https://t.co/yRtRKi5L4J pic.twitter.com/DxJU8oW2Z4
— New York Post (@nypost) January 25, 2024
Miranda Hill is still in recovery.
She spoke with First Coast News about her experience with the cruise ship illness:
Miranda Hill and her boyfriend’s family from Tifton, Ga. boarded the Carnival Elation last Thursday here at the JAXPORT Cruise Terminal.
What Miranda first thought was sea sickness quickly escalated into something more.
“My throw up was bright blue and I have never eaten anything blue and every time I look up blue throw up, it has to deal with a poisoning,” she said.
Miranda went from spending her vacation by the water, to being cared for in the medical infirmary for more than half of the cruise. And she wasn’t the only one.
She says several of her friends and her boyfriend’s family along with other passengers all had similar symptoms.
“My friend who I came with, she threw up a live parasite,” Hill added.
At this time, we don’t know for sure what Carnival Cruise is blaming the sickness on the stomach flu.
The New York Post reported on Carnival Cruise’s response the outbreak:
On Monday, Carnival Cruise Lines reportedly said people onboard the Elation ship had symptoms of gastroenteritis, or the stomach flu.
When reached for comment about the incident, a Carnival Cruise Lines spokesperson told the Post they “don’t have anything to share” at this time, but said the company would provide information when it became available.
Miranda, who believes she had food poisoning, says she and her boyfriend were each given a 95-dollar credit from the cruise line after the ship docked back in Jacksonville.
“I just hope they do better, they clean their ship, they were telling us to wash their hands but who knows if the cooks are washing their hands,” Hill said.