A case of pneumonic plague has resulted in the death of an unidentified individual in Coconino County, Northern Arizona, local health officials confirmed.
The patient was admitted to Flagstaff Medical Center’s Emergency Department, where they sadly passed away on the same day of arrival.
The exact date of the death remains unclear, but Northern Arizona Healthcare indicated that “appropriate initial management” and attempts at life-saving resuscitation were performed without success.
Rapid diagnostic testing led to a presumptive diagnosis of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for plague.
Testing results verified by Coconino County Health and Human Services confirmed that the individual succumbed to pneumonic plague, described as a severe lung infection caused by Yersinia pestis.
This incident marks the first recorded death from pneumonic plague in Coconino County since 2007, when a previous case involved an individual who had come into contact with a dead animal infected with the disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines that the common forms of plague include bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic.
Pneumonic plague occurs when Yersinia pestis bacteria spread to the lungs of a patient suffering from untreated bubonic or septicemic plague, or when someone inhales infectious droplets that come from a person or animal afflicted with pneumonic plague.
Bubonic plague, historically associated with mass mortality in Europe during the Middle Ages, remains rare in modern times, with some cases still reported annually in the rural western U.S. as well as select regions in Africa and Asia, according to the CDC.
Symptoms of plague usually manifest within two to six days post-infection, including fever and swollen, painful lymph nodes, commonly located in the armpit, groin, and neck.
The CDC has reported an average of seven human plague cases each year in the United States, with not all instances proving fatal between the years 2000 and 2023.
Typically, humans contract plague through bites from infected rodent fleas or by handling an animal carrying the bacteria.
However, it is important to note that the disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics if detected early.
In the wake of this fatality, Flagstaff Medical Center is collaborating with Coconino County Health and Human Services and the Arizona Department of Health Services to conduct a thorough investigation.
The hospital emphasized the importance of seeking medical advice for suspected contagious diseases, advising individuals with severe illnesses to visit the Emergency Department and request a mask to prevent the spread of disease while they receive necessary care.
Earlier this week, the Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) had reported a prairie dog die-off in the Townsend Winona area, northeast of Flagstaff.
Health officials suggested that such die-offs could indicate the presence of plague.
However, they clarified that the recent fatality is not related to this prairie dog die-off.
The affected area exists on private property, and the CCHHS is actively working with the landowner to collect fleas for testing, along with treatment of burrows to diminish flea activity, while monitoring the situation.
Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chair Patrice Horstman extended condolences, expressing, “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased. 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.”
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