A human #plague death was confirmed in northern #Arizona. What to know

by Stephanie Innes, Arizona Republic
July 11, 2025

"A human has died of pneumonic plague in northern Arizona, Coconino County health officials confirmed July 11.

"The case is not connected to a recent die-off of prairie dogs in the area, officials said.

"The death of the Coconino County resident marks the first recorded pneumonic plague death in the county since 2007, officials with Coconino County Health and Human Services said in a statement.

"The county's confirmation of the death came after Northern Arizona Healthcare issued a statement that one of its patients had a presumptive positive diagnosis of Yersinia pestis, which is the bacterium that causes plague.

"The person recently died in the Flagstaff Medical Center emergency department on the day the person sought treatment, the statement said.

"The Northern Arizona Healthcare statement says that 'despite appropriate initial management and attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation, the patient did not recover' and says that Northern Arizona Healthcare team is 'saddened by this loss of a community member.'

"Citing patient privacy, officials with Northern Arizona Healthcare and Coconino County said they would not be releasing additional information about the patient who died.

"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says plague in humans is relatively rare, with about seven human cases reported annually across the country.

"Pneumonic plague is a severe lung infection, according to Coconino County health officials. A 2015 CDC report characterized it as the least common of the three main forms of plague. The other two main forms are bubonic and septicemic.

"The CDC says Yersinia pestis is transmitted by fleas, cycles naturally among wild rodents and that humans usually get the plague after being bitten by an infected rodent flea or by handling an infected animal. People may also become infected through exposure to sick pets, especially cats, the CDC says.

"County officials are investigating a recent sudden die-off of prairie dogs in the Townsend Winona area northeast of #Flagstaff that may be caused by plague, but county officials on July 11 said in their statement that the prairie dog case and the human plague death are 'not related.' "

#YersiniaPestis #AnimalHealth
#HumanHealth #Disease #TheBlackDeath #BubonicPlague