Cats sick with rare ‘pneumonic plague’ infect Wyoming resident, officials say

A case of “pneumonic plague” has been detected in a Wyoming resident, and the state’s health department is calling the infection “rare but serious.”

The bacterial infection was transmitted after the person had contact with sick pet cats, according to a Sept. 15 news release from the Wyoming Department of Health. If not treated quickly with antibiotics, plague can be deadly.

The disease can spread from person to person and from sick animals to humans, the department said. It is considered the most serious form of plague.

Following the resident’s plague diagnosis, health officials say they are contacting others who may have been infected and are in need of treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says antibiotic treatment should begin as soon as possible, but ideally within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms.

“It’s safe to assume that the risk for plague exists all around our state,” said Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist. “While the disease is rare in humans, it is important for people to take precautions to reduce exposure and to seek prompt medical care if symptoms consistent with plague develop.”

This confirmed “human plague case” is the seventh recorded case in Wyoming since 1978, officials said.

“Pneumonic plague can develop from inhaling infectious droplets or may develop from untreated bubonic or septicemic plague,” the release says.

The “pneumonic plague” is the only plague that humans can spread to other people, the CDC says, and can also be caused by untreated bubonic plague.

Symptoms of this type of plague include fever, headache, weakness, rapidly-developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain and watery or bloody mucous, the department said.

Plague vaccines are not available, and while they are in development, the CDC says they are not expected to be available in the near future.

To reduce your risk of developing a case of the plague, the state health department provided the following advice:

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