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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Arizona confirms plague death: What to know and how to stay safe
A person in northern Arizona has died from pneumonic plague, local health officials informed on Friday, July 11. The patient, who is yet to be identified, hailed from Coconino County and was taken to the Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department with severe symptoms, with the death confirmed on the same day. Tests revealed the presence of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for plague, in the dead patient's body.(Representative Image: Unspalsh) The rapid diagnostic testing revealed the presence of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for plague, NBC News reported. Death in Arizona raises plague alert The fatality occurred amid the recent die-off of prairie dogs in the Townsend-Winona area, which is situated northeast of Flagstaff. Health officials in Arizona have clarified that the death is unrelated to the prairie dog die-off, according to Newsweek. In a statement, the hospital informed that the patient failed to recover even after "appropriate initial management" as well as "attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation". The test results on Friday confirmed that the person died from pneumonic plague, which the Coconino County Health and Human Services said is a "severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium.' Officials noted that this was the first death recorded in Coconino County since 2007, when a person had an interaction with a dead animal that remained infected with the disease. Plague is rare among humans, while data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights that only seven human plague cases are reported on average every year. Also read: Flesh-eating 'man-eater' maggots may soon become a menace in this US town: Here's how authorities plan to stop them What are the symptoms of plague? Bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic are considered three of the most common forms of plague. As per the CDC, pneumonic plague develops after the bacteria spreads to the patient's lungs with "untreated bubonic or septicemic plague, or when a person inhales infectious droplets coughed out by another person or animal with pneumonic plague". In this, infected individuals usually report high fever, headache, weakness along with pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain and cough. Being the most serious form of the disease, pneumonic plague remains the only form which can spread from one person to another. Also Read: Donald Trump to visit Texas week after flash floods; check full schedule How to stay safe? 1. Reduce rodent habitat at your home, workplace, or other areas. 2. Always wear gloves while handling potentially infected animals. 3. Use repellent while doing activities like camping or hiking. 4. Keep fleas off your pets. This can be done through flea control products. FAQs What stopped the Black Death? According to The Week, several theories suggest that it was the imposition of quarantine measures that effectively ensured the slowing down of the Black Death. What causes plague disease? It is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium. How many people died from the plague? Black Death, the pandemic that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351, is estimated to have killed 25 million people, according to Britannica. Did some people survive the Black plague? Yes, there were several people who survived the bubonic plague.
NBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- NBC News
Arizona patient dies in emergency room from plague
A person in northern Arizona has died from a case of bubonicplague, local health officials said. The unidentified patient 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." Bubonic plague — known for killing millions in Europe in the Middle Ages — is now rare but does cause illness in the rural western U.S., as well as 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 and include fever, swollen, painful lymph nodes that 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 to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2000 to 2023. Rapid diagnostic testing led to a presumptive diagnosis of Yersinia pestis. Humans are usually infected through a bite of an infected rodent flea or by handling an infected animal, according to the CDC. 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, the Coconino County Health and Human Services reported a prairie dog die-off in the Townsend Winona area, northeast of Flagstaff — which officials said 'can be an indicator of plague.' The impacted area was on private land and the CCHHS was working with the property owner to collect fleas for testing. Burrows will also treated to reduce flea activity and the area will be monitored.
