A child in Idaho was treated for bubonic plague in the first human case in the state in 26 years
Boy recovering after being given antibiotics for rare case of ‘Black Death’
A boy in Idaho is recovering after contracting plague – the first human case in the state in more than two decades, health officials say.
Christine Myron, a spokeswoman for the Central District Health Department, said Wednesday that the child, who has not been publicly identified, is back home in Elmore County, Idaho, and “doing well” after being treated with antibiotics in hospital.
The child became ill late last month and, earlier this week, health authorities received laboratory confirmation that he had bubonic plague, Myron said.
Bubonic plague is the most common form and known for causing swollen lymph nodes or “buboes,” according to the World Health Organisation.
Pneumonic plague, which is based in the lungs, “is the most virulent form of plague” and “can be fatal” when not diagnosed and treated early on, according to the WHO.
It is still unclear whether the child in Elmore County was exposed to the disease in Idaho or during a recent trip to Oregon, according to the Central District Health Department.