Arizona resident dies from pneumonic plague, health officials say
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the plague is a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It occurs naturally in parts of the western U.S. and primarily spread by animals. Health officials say the last known case of human-to-human transmission was reported in 1924.
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Health officials in northern Arizona are investigating a case of pneumonic plague in which a local resident died from the disease.
Coconino County Health and Human Services said it received positive laboratory results on Friday, marking the first fatal human case in the U.S. this year.
"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased," Patrice Horstman, chair of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. "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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According to health specialists, the severe lung infection is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is naturally found in parts of the United States and is primarily spread by animals.
Local officials emphasized there was no connection between a recent prairie dog die-off and the case but did not specify where the victim may have contracted the illness.
Human cases of plague are considered rare, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting only a handful each year.
States in the Desert Southwest account for the majority of cases, as rodents and their fleas carry the bacterium that can be transmitted to humans.
Health officials said the risk of person-to-person transmission is very low, with the last reported human-to-human transmission in the U.S. occurring in 1924.
Health departments across Arizona and many communities in the Southwest maintain surveillance programs to monitor for diseases such as plague, West Nile virus, hantavirus and rabies.
Pneumonic plague is a bacterial disease primarily spread through respiratory droplets or contact, while hantavirus is a viral infection transmitted mainly through contact with rodent droppings or bites.
Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, died earlier this year from what authorities believe was hantavirus, likely contracted from an infected rodent near their rural New Mexico home.
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Health officials say the best way to limit exposure to these rare diseases is to avoid contact with wild rodents, especially those that appear sick or dead.
A large prairie dog die-off can be a telltale sign that the bacterium is prevalent in a community, until testing can be completed to confirm its presence.
"Symptoms of plague in humans typically appear within one to eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness, and muscle pain," staff with the Coconino County Health Department stated. "Some individuals may also develop swollen lymph nodes (called ‘buboes’), most commonly in the groin, armpits, or limbs. The disease can become septicemic (spreading throughout the bloodstream) and/or pneumonic (affecting the lungs) but is curable with proper antibiotic therapy if diagnosed and treated early."
Black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) at rimmed crater mound burrow entrance.
(Philippe Clément/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)