A child in Idaho, USA, is confirmed to have the bubonic plague, which doctors speculate he obtained while on a recent family trip to Oregon.
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pexels
The Elmore County child, who has not been pubicly identified, is the first diagnosed case of the plague in the state in 26 years.
Thankfully, the disease is treatable with modern antibiotics.
If caught early enough, bubonic plague responds quite well to antibiotics. This isn’t going to be a mass-graves-losing-half-the-population-bring-out-yer-dead scenario.
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) June 17, 2018
Christine Myron, a spokeswoman for the Central District Health Department (CDHD), said on Wednesday that he remains in a stable condition and is doing well back home after being treated with antibiotics in the hospital.
The disease is caused by Yersinia pestis, the same pathogen associated with the black death, which killed half of the European population in the 1300s.
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Rocky Mountain Laboratories
It’s most often transmitted to humans when they are bitten by infected fleas.
In extremely rare circumstances, the plague may also be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with infected animals or fleas.
While this is the first recorded case of the plague in Idaho since the 1990s, eight human cases of the disease have been cofirmed in Oregon since 1990, and 30 have died in Los Angeles in 1924.
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imgur
Symptoms may include fever, chills, headache and weakness and typically appear within two to six days upon being infected by the disease.
Epidemiologist from CDHD Sarah Correll said, “Plague is spread to humans through a bite from an infected flea. People can decrease their risk by treating their pets for fleas and avoiding contact with wildlife.”
“Wear insect repellant, long pants and socks when visiting plague affected areas,” she added.
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