A Crook County teenager is recovering in intensive care after contracting bubonic plague during a hunting trip earlier this month near Heppner.

Oregon health officials said the girl likely caught the disease from a flea bite sometime during the trip, which started Oct. 16. She reportedly became sick on Oct. 21 and was hospitalized in Bend three days later.

Bubonic plague is an infectious bacterial disease carried by squirrels, chipmunks and other wild rodents. When an infected animal becomes sick, its fleas can carry the disease to other animals or humans through bites.

Plague is commonly associated with the Black Death, a major pandemic that killed somewhere between 75-200 million people in Europe in the 14th century.

“Many people think of the plague as a disease of the past, but it’s still very much present in our environment, particularly among wildlife,” said Emilio DeBess, Oregon’s state public health veterinarian. “Fortunately, plague remains a rare disease, but people need to take appropriate precautions with wildlife and their pets to keep it that way.”

Only eight human cases of plague have been diagnosed in Oregon since 1995, and no deaths have been reported. The disease is treatable with antibiotics if caught early.

Symptoms usually develop several days after exposure, and include fever, chills, headache, weakness and a bloody or watery cough. Bubonic plague is the most common of three types of plague, characterized by high fever and swollen lymph nodes in the neck and under the jaw.

DeBess recommends people avoid all contact with wild rodents. They should never feed squirrels, chipmunks or other rodents in picnic or campground areas, and never tough a sick or dead rodent.

People should also keep their pets away from potentially infected rodents, and don’t leave pet’s food where mice or other critters can get to it.

Anyone who finds a sick or dead rodent should contact a staff veterinarian with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife at 1-866-968-2600.

For more information about plague, visit www.cdc.gov/plague.