MedPageToday Case occurred outside the typical season, suggesting the influence of a changing climate. In a rare, off-season occurrence, a man in Oregon contracted plague from his infected cat, researchers reported.
The case occurred in January 2024, earlier in the year than all of the other 18 cases of plague reported in Oregon in the past 90 years, Emilio DeBess, DVM, of the Oregon Health Authority, and colleagues reported in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Cases typically occur from May to August, DeBess and colleagues noted, suggesting that changes in climate may alter patterns of Yersinia pestis infections. These changes “could potentially cause not only more cases of plague, but an extended season,” DeBess told MedPage Today.