A man contracted the bubonic plague in Oregon: some keys to this “medieval” disease.

Central Oregon authorities reported this this week a case of bubonic plague in a resident who likely contracted the disease from a sick cat.

The infected resident and his or her close contacts they received drugs, public health officials say, and people in the community are not believed to be at risk. The cat was also treated but he did not survive.

Plague is not commonbut it is also not unheard of in the western United States, where a few cases occur each year. It is different from Alaskan smallpoxa recently discovered rare disease that killed a man last month.

Here are some things to keep in mind about what the plague is, who is at risk, and how a disease that was once a harbinger of death became a treatable disease.

What is the plague?

Plague is an infectious disease that can affect mammals. It is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, transmitted by rodents and fleas. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sunlight and drying can kill plague bacteria on surfaces. Humans and pets suspected of having plague are usually treated with antibiotics and sometimes other medical measures.

Plague symptoms can manifest themselves in several ways. Bubonic plague, the type that hits Oregon, occurs when plague bacteria enters the lymph nodes. May cause fever, headache, weakness, and swollen, painful lymph nodes. It usually occurs due to the bite of an infected fleaAccording to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Symptoms of septicemic plague occur if the bacteria enters the bloodstream. It can occur initially or after bubonic plague goes untreated. This form of plague causes the same fever, chills and weakness, as well as abdominal pain, shock and sometimes other symptoms such as bleeding on the skin and blackened fingers, toes, or nose. The CDC says this form results from flea bites or handling an infected animal.

THE Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease and occurs when bacteria enter the lungs. Pneumonic plague adds rapidly developing pneumonia to the list of plague symptoms. It is the only form of plague that exists can be transmitted from person to person through inhalation of infectious droplets.

All forms of plague can be treated with common antibioticsand people who seek early treatment are more likely to achieve a full recovery, according to the CDC.

How widespread is bubonic plague?

In the United States, it is reported every year an average of 7 cases of human plague, according to the CDC, and about 80% of them are the bubonic form of the disease. Most of these cases occurred in rural areas of the western and southwestern United States

A welder in central Oregon contracted it in 2012 when he removed a rodent from his cat’s mouth that he was suffocating; survived but he lost the tips of his fingers and toes due to the disease. A teenager from Colorado contracted a fatal case while hunting in 2015, and Colorado authorities confirmed at least two cases last year, one of them fatal.

Worldwide, most human cases of plague in recent decades have occurred in people who They live in cities and rural villages in Africa, particularly in Madagascar and Congo, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

People can reduce the risk of parasites keeping your homes and outdoor living areas less attractive to rodents, eliminating piles of brush and waste and keeping pet food inaccessible. Ground squirrels, chipmunks, and wood rats can transmit plague just like other rodents people with bird feeders and squirrels They should consider the risks if they live in areas with a plague epidemic.

The CDC says DEET repellent can also help protect people from rodent fleas. when camping or working outdoors.

Flea control products can help prevent fleas from infecting pets. If a pet gets sick, should be taken to the vet as soon as possibleAccording to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Isn’t it the plague of the Middle Ages?

Perhaps it was the Black Death of the 14th century the most infamous plague epidemic, killing up to half the population as it spread across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. It began to devastate communities in the Middle East and Europe between 1347 and 1351and major epidemics continued for approx the next 400 years.

A previous great plague pandemic, called Plague of Justinianit began in Rome around the year 541 and continued to erupt for the next two hundred years.

THE The third great plague pandemic began in the Yunnan region of China in the mid-19th century and spread along trade routes, reaching Hong Kong and Bombay about 40 years later. Over time it reached all continents except Antarctica, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and is estimated to have killed approx 12 million people in China and India alone.

At the end of the 19th century An effective treatment with an antiserum has been developed. That treatment was replaced by antibiotics even more effective a few decades later.

Although plague remains a serious disease, antibiotic and supportive therapy is effective even for the most dangerous pneumonic form when patients are treated early, according to the World Health Organization.