The plague is best remembered for killing millions of Europeans during the Middle Ages, and now it's back! Epidemiologists from the Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division, the Crook County Public Health Department, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed a case of bubonic plague in a 16-year-old girl from Oregon.

"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, state public health veterinarian in the Public Health Division’s Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section, in a statement. "Fortunately, plague remains a rare disease, but people need to take appropriate precautions with wildlife and their pets to keep it that way."

Health officials believe the girl contracted the disease via a flea bite she got during a hunting trip that started on Oct. 16. Although bubonic plague cases are usually found on the West Coast of the United States, it is considered rare in Oregon. This is only the eighth human case of bubonic plague in the state since 1995 and no deaths have been reported. The girl was hospitalized on Oct. 24 and is currently recovering in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the plague is caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. It is often carried by squirrels, chipmunks, and other wild rodents and their fleas. There are three types of plague: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. Bubonic is considered the most common. Symptoms of the plague, including fever, chills, headache, lethargy, swollen lymph nodes, and bloody or watery cough, tend to develop within one to four days after exposure.