A person in northern Arizona has died from a case of pneumonic plague, local health officials said. The unidentified patient, from Coconino County, showed up to the Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department and died there the same day, Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement. It is unclear when the death occurred. The hospital noted that "appropriate initial management" and "attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation" was performed, but "the patient did not recover." Rapid diagnostic testing led to a presumptive diagnosis of Yersinia pestis. Coconino County Health and Human Services said testing results confirmed Friday that the patient died from pneumonic plague, described as "a severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium." This marked the first recorded death from pneumonic plague in the county since 2007, when an individual had an interaction with a dead animal infected with the disease, according to county officials. The most common forms of plague are bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Pneumonic plague "develops when bacteria spread to the lungs of a patient with untreated bubonic or septicemic plague, or when a person inhales infectious droplets coughed out by another person or animal with pneumonic plague," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bubonic plague — known for killing millions in Europe in the Middle Ages — is now rare but some cases are reported in the rural western U.S. every year, as well as in certain regions of Africa and Asia, according to the CDC. The disease is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and affects people and other mammals. Symptoms usually appear within two to six days of infection and include fever and swollen painful lymph nodes, most commonly found in the armpit, groin and neck. An average of seven human plague cases are reported each year in the U.S., but those cases aren't always fatal, according todata from the CDC from 2000 to 2023. Humans are usually infected through a bite of an infected rodent flea or by handling an animal carrying the disease, according to theCDC. It can be easily cured if given antibiotics early. The hospital is working with the Coconino County Health and Human Services Department and the Arizona Department of Health Services to investigate the case. "NAH would like to remind anyone who suspects they are ill with a contagious disease to contact their health care provider. If their illness is severe, they should go to the Emergency Department and immediately ask for a mask to help prevent the spread of disease while they access timely and important care," the hospital said. Earlier in the week, theCoconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS)reported a prairie dog die-off in the Townsend Winona area, northeast of Flagstaff — which officials said "can be an indicator of plague." The department noted the recent death is not related to the prairie dog die-off. The impacted area was on private land and the CCHHS was working with the property owner to collect fleas for testing. Burrows will also be treated to reduce flea activity and the area will be monitored. "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased," said Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chair Patrice Horstman. "We are keeping them in our thoughts during this difficult time. Out of respect for the family, no additional information about the death will be released."
