Michigan Resident Recovering From Bubonic Plague

State health officials reported on Monday, September 14, that a Michigan resident is recovering from the first ever confirmed case of bubonic plague.

The bubonic plague came to the US in 1900 because of rats that were infected carried here on steamships. Symptoms of the plague may include high fever, chills, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or groin.

Although this has not been something to really worry about for a long time, it has been reported 14 times this year, which is up considerably from the annual three cases.

The Michigan resident from Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula was recently in Colorado where the plague activity has been reported. The Michigan resident is recovering, and the state health department says that there is no cause for concern about human-to-human contact.