Under a low magnification of 96X, this hematoxylin-eosin stained (H&E) photomicrograph reveals some of the histopathologic changes seen in a lymph node tissue sample in a case of fatal human plague.(Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
PORTLAND, Ore.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>A 16-year-old Crook County girl has been diagnosed with bubonic plague,
Oregon health officials confirmed.
The Oregon Health Authority said the girl likely acquired the disease from a flea bite during a hunting trip near Heppner<span style="color: Red;">*</span>on Oct. 16. She got sick five days later and was admitted to the intensive care unit at<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a Bend hospital.
No other people in Crook County have been infected with the plague, according to OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie.
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Epidemiologists with<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Oregon Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are working with Crook, Deschutes and Morrow county health officials<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to investigate the illness.
"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 state public health veterinarian Emilio DeBess. "Fortunately, plague remains a rare disease, but people need to take appropriate precautions with wildlife and their pets to keep it that way."
Bubonic plague<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>bacterial disease carried by rodents and their fleas, according to the CDC.
If detected early, the disease is treatable with antibiotics. Only eight human cases have been diagnosed in the state since 1995, and no deaths have been reported, according to the OHA.
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Symptoms
Plague symptoms, which health officials say typically develop in one to four days after exposure, include fever, chills, headache, weakness<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and a bloody or watery cough.
Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague. Its symptoms are high fever, lethargy and swollen lymph nodes, most commonly in the neck and under the jaw, Modie said. Infected lymph nodes may spontaneously abscess and drain.
How to prevent getting the plague
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Avoid sick or dead rodents, rabbits and squirrels, and their nests and burrows.
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Keep your pets from roaming and hunting.
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Talk to your veterinarian about using an appropriate flea control product on your pets.
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Clean up areas near the house where rodents could live, such as woodpiles, brush piles, junk and abandoned vehicles.
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Sick pets should be examined promptly by a veterinarian.
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>See your doctor about any unexplained illness involving a sudden and severe fever.
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Put hay, wood<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and compost piles as far as possible from your home.
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Don't leave your pet's food and water where mice can get to it.
Follow Max Barr on Twitter: @maxnbarr
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