Oregon Girl Diagnosed With Bubonic Plague

A 16-year-old girl in Oregon has been diagnosed with bubonic plague after returning from a hunting trip.

Oregon health officials said she likely contracted the illness from a flea bite on the trip, KGW News reports. She has been admitted to an intensive care unit in the hospital, and no other members of the county have been infected.

“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,” state public health veterinarian Emilio DeBess told KGW. “Fortunately, plague remains a rare disease, but people need to take appropriate precautions with wildlife and their pets to keep it that way.”

Epidemiologists with Oregon Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working with local authorities to investigate the incident. Bubonic plague is treatable with antibiotics if it is caught early enough.