An Oregon man has been diagnosed with a rare disease that once ravaged the planet: the bubonic plague.
The patient, whose identity was kept confidential, is believed to have gotten the disease from his cat, who got it from a diseased flea.
The feline did not survive his bout with the illness even after treatment, Dr. Richard Fawcett of the Deschutes County Health Department reported.
The cat’s owner is also being treated and has so far survived.
Fawcett also said in a release that no other bubonic plague cases have been reported throughout the state.
While the plague is incredibly rare nowadays, cases do get diagnosed in the U.S. About seven cases per year get reported, with about 20% being of the non-bubonic variety, according to the CDC.
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