A teenage girl from Crook County was confirmed to have bubonic plague, according to health officials.
The disease was believed to have originated from a flea bite after the 16-year-old girl went on a hunting trip on Oct. 16 in Morrow County.
NPR reported that the girl was sick for five days before she was sent to the hospital in Bend on Oct. 24 for intensive care.
But on Friday, Oct, 27, the girl was finally out of the intensive care unit, USA Today reported.
Local health authorities and federal agencies are now looking in to the latest Oregon bubonic plague cases, but Oregon Health Authority (OHA) spokesman Jonathan Modie assured that no other Crook County residents have been infected with the disease.
Bubonic plague is a popular disease throughout the medieval times when it claimed the lives of millions.
It is caused by the bacteria called Yersinia pestis transmitted by rats, squirrels, and other rodent species via their fleas.
Although the disease is known to have caused a massive outbreak, it is a rare instance for a person to contract it these days.
Despite that, Oregon public health veterinarian Emilio DeBess said that the disease is "still very much present in our environment" and that people should be aware that it can still infect and that there are precautionary measures to prevent the disease.
The state had only experienced eight cases of the disease in humans since 1995 and fortunately, there were no deaths reported, the OHA said. The latest case from Crook County is the 16th case in the United States for 2015.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assures that the disease can be treated with modern antibiotics if caught early. Otherwise, the disease can spread to different parts of the body and may even cause death.
Symptoms, which included headache, fever, chills, watery or bloody cough, and weakness, usually show up one to four days after being exposed to the bacteria.
