Arizona Reports Death from Plague: Key Facts and Safety Tips

Northern Arizona health officials confirmed that a Coconino County resident died of pneumonic plague on July 11. The patient, whose name was not given, was taken to the Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department with extreme symptoms, local officials said.

Although 'appropriate initial management' and 'efforts to administer life-saving resuscitation', the patient did not make it, the hospital reported in a statement.

Quick tests diagnosed Yersinia pestis, the bacterium causing plague, as cited by NBC News.

Unrelated to Prairie Dog Die-Off

This sad incident occurred during a recent die-off of prairie dogs in the Townsend-Winona area northeast of Flagstaff. However, Arizona health officials made it clear to Newsweek that the death was unrelated to those incidents.

The Coconino County Department of Health and Human Services reported this to be the first plague death in the county since 2007, when a person became infected after exposure to a dead animal with the bacteria. 

Pneumonic Plague and Risks

The agency defined pneumonic plague as a 'serious lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium'. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that pneumonic plague arises following an untreated bubonic or septicemic plague infection spreading to the lungs, or by inhaling contaminated droplets from an infected human or animal.

Infected individuals frequently have high fever, headache, weakness, as well as pneumonia signs including shortness of breath, chest pain, and cough. Pneumonic plague is particularly serious because it is the only type that can spread from person to person.

Luckily, human cases of plague are still relatively uncommon. The CDC reports that, on average, only seven cases are seen each year in the United States.

How to Protect Yourself

• Health authorities advise a number of measures to prevent plague infection:
• Restrict rodent environments surrounding homes, workplaces, or other locations of regular visits.
• Wear protective gloves when dealing with animals that could be infected.
• Apply insect repellents while engaging in outdoor activities such as hiking or camping.
• Prevent fleas on pets using flea control products.

More Plague Facts

What brought an end to the Black Death?
Quarantine, The Week argues, is popularly credited with having slowed the Black Death's spread.

What does cause plague?
It is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

How lethal was the Black Death?
Between 1347 and 1351, the pandemic is estimated by Britannica to have claimed about 25 million lives in Europe.

Did anybody survive it?
Yes, countless people did survive the bubonic plague, in spite of its catastrophic impact.