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By Tom Porter
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Authorities are investigating how an Idaho child contracted the rare but highly infectious disease, the bubonic plague.
They are focussing their probe on whether the disease, which is communicated through infected fleas or contact with infected animals, was contracted near the child's home or on a recent trip to Oregon, health officials told the Oregonian.
The child's infection was confirmed by The Central District Health Department earlier in the week.
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The disease was once known as the Black Death and killed millions as it spread through Medieval Europe in the 14th century. Although largely eradicated, it can still be deadly, but antibiotics can cure it if it is caught early. The child, who has not been identified, is reportedly recovering after receiving the treatment.
According to health officials, the case is the second human diagnosis in the state since 1990, while eight cases of humans infected with the disease have been recorded in Oregon in the same period.
Squirrels have tested positive for the disease in Elmore County, where the child lives, in 2015 and 2016, though no cases of squirrel infection were found last year.
Human symptoms of infection appear within two to six days of contact, and include fever, chills, headaches and often a swelling of lymph nodes under the armpit, The Central District Health Department said in a statement.
It recommends people wear insect repellent, long pants and socks when visiting a plague-affected area.
Last year, 200 people died in a deadly outbreak of the plague in Madagascar.
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