Plague confirmed in Oregon teen

Health officials believe she contracted the bacteria from an infected flea during a hunting trip earlier this month in Morrow County, Oregon. According to a press release, the young woman began feeling sick on October 21 and was hospitalized in Bend, Oregon on October 24. Plague is rare in Oregon, with only eight human cases diagnosed since 1995 and no deaths, according to the Oregon Health Authority. The plague usually occurs in rural and semi-rural areas of the western United States, most commonly in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. The bacteria that causes the plague is naturally occurring in the environment. Humans become infected by fleas who have fed off of infected rodents such as rats, chipmunks and squirrels. http://kfor.com/2015/10/31/plague-confirmed-in-oregon-teen/