A pet owner has caught a rare case of the bubonic plague, health officials in central Oregon say, and it’s believed they may have caught it from their cat.
The Deschutes County Health Services confirmed the case of the plague in a local resident last week. The resident was likely “infected by their symptomatic pet cat,” health officials said in a Feb. 7 press release.
“All close contacts of the resident and their pet have been contacted and provided medication to prevent illness,” Dr. Richard Fawcett, Deschutes County health officer, said in the release.
The case is the first example of the bubonic plague in Oregon since 2015, according to the state’s health authority, and plague is “rare” in the state.
Deschutes County Health officials said the case was “fortunately” identified and treated in its early stages, “posing little risk to the community.”