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The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Arizona resident dies from pneumonic plague, health officials say
A person has died from pneumonic plague in Coconino county, Arizona, the first such death there since 2007 – though officials are saying the death is unrelated to a recent die-off of prairie dogs in the area that may also be plague-related. Health officials in Coconino county, which incorporates part of the Grand Canyon national park and lies north of Flagstaff, confirmed the death on 11 July. Pneumonic plague, a severe lung infection, is rare in humans, with only about seven cases reported annually in the US. Unlike bubonic plague, which killed millions in medieval Europe, it can be spread through airborne droplets. While both are caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, bubonic plague is transmitted through rodent flea bites or contact with contaminated material – and it primarily affects the lymph nodes while pneumonic plague causes pneumonia and respiratory symptoms. Authorities said the person, whose age, name and gender have not been released, had entered the Flagstaff Medical Center emergency department and died on the same day. Hospital operator Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement that 'despite appropriate initial management and attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation, the patient did not recover'. The death of the Coconino county resident marks the first recorded pneumonic plague death in the county in 18 years but not the most recent human plague case in Arizona – the state has recorded seven cases of plague since 2006. The 2007 death reportedly occurred after the person involved had contact with a dead animal infected with plague. Nationally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about seven human cases of plague are reported annually across the country, but only 15 plague deaths have been recorded in a 23-year period beginning in 2000. Most cases have been seen in rural areas in the west. Typically, the CDC says, Yersinia pestis cycles naturally among wild rodents. And while most people contract the disease though flea bites, they can become infected through exposure to sick pets, especially cats. The plague death comes as officials in the county are investigating a sudden die-off of prairie dogs north-east of Flagstaff that may be caused by plague. County officials have said they do not think the human plague death and the prairie dog mortalities are related. But they also issued guidelines about how to avoid contracting the plague, including avoiding contact with wild animals, touching sick or dead animals, camping near rodent burrows, or sleeping directly on the ground. They advise using insect repellent and tucking the cuffs of your trouser leg into your socks. Coconino county health officials said the risk of human-to-human transmission of pneumonic plague is low. The last such transmission was in Los Angeles in 1924, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) data. Still, the symptoms of the Black Death – named for black spots that appeared on infected bodies – remain present. US health officials say plague symptoms typically appear within eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness and muscle pain, and some may develop swollen lymph nodes (called 'buboes'), most commonly in the groin, armpits or limbs. But the timing of the human plague death, and the prairie dog die-off, is raising concerns. Plague is one of many diseases endemic to the south-western US, including West Nile virus, hantavirus and rabies. Trish Lees, communications manager for Coconino county, told the Arizona Republic the number of prairie dogs that have died was unknown.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Arizona resident dies from pneumonic plague, health officials say
A person has died from pneumonic plague in Coconino county, Arizona, the first such death there since 2007 – though officials are saying the death is unrelated to a recent die-off of prairie dogs in the area that may also be plague-related. Health officials in Coconino county, which incorporates part of the Grand Canyon national park and lies north of Flagstaff, confirmed the death on 11 July. Pneumonic plague, a severe lung infection, is rare in humans, with only about seven cases reported annually in the US. Unlike bubonic plague, which killed millions in medieval Europe, it can be spread through airborne droplets. While both are caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, bubonic plague is transmitted through rodent flea bites or contact with contaminated material – and it primarily affects the lymph nodes while pneumonic plague causes pneumonia and respiratory symptoms. Authorities said the person, whose age, name and gender have not been released, had entered the Flagstaff Medical Center emergency department and died on the same day. Hospital operator Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement that 'despite appropriate initial management and attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation, the patient did not recover'. The death of the Coconino county resident marks the first recorded pneumonic plague death in the county in 18 years but not the most recent human plague case in Arizona – the state has recorded seven cases of plague since 2006. Nationally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about seven human cases of plague are reported annually across the country, but only 15 plague deaths have been recorded in a 23-year period beginning in 2000. Most cases have been seen in rural areas in the west. Typically, the CDC says, Yersinia pestis cycles naturally among wild rodents. And while most people contract the disease though flea bites, they can become infected through exposure to sick pets, especially cats. The plague death comes as officials in the county are investigating a sudden die-off of prairie dogs north-east of Flagstaff that may be caused by plague. County officials have said they do not think the human plague death and the prairie dog mortalities are related. But they also issued guidelines about how to avoid contracting the plague, including avoiding contact with wild animals, touching sick or dead animals, camping near rodent burrows, or sleeping directly on the ground. They advise using insect repellent and tucking the cuffs of your trouser leg into your socks. Coconino county health officials said the risk of human-to-human transmission of pneumonic plague is low. The last such transmission was in Los Angeles in 1924, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) data. Still, the symptoms of the Black Death – named for black spots that appeared on infected bodies – remain present. US health officials say plague symptoms typically appear within eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness and muscle pain, and some may develop swollen lymph nodes (called 'buboes'), most commonly in the groin, armpits or limbs. But the timing of the human plague death, and the prairie dog die-off, is raising concerns. Plague is one of many diseases endemic to the south-western US, including West Nile virus, hantavirus and rabies. Trish Lees, communications manager for Coconino county, told the Arizona Republic the number of prairie dogs that have died was unknown.
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Arizona resident dies from pneumonic plague, health officials say
A person has died from pneumonic plague in Coconino county, Arizona, the first such death there since 2007 – though officials are saying the death is unrelated to a recent die-off of prairie dogs in the area that may also be plague-related. Health officials in Coconino county, which incorporates part of the Grand Canyon national park and lies north of Flagstaff, confirmed the death on 11 July. Pneumonic plague, a severe lung infection, is rare in humans, with only about seven cases reported annually in the US. Unlike Bubonic plague, which killed millions in medieval Europe, it can be spread through airborne droplets. While both are caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, bubonic plague is transmitted through rodent flea bites or contact with contaminated material – and it primarily affects the lymph nodes while pneumonic plague causes pneumonia and respiratory symptoms. Authorities said the person, whose age, name and gender have not been released, had entered the Flagstaff Medical Center emergency department and died on the same day. Hospital operator Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement that 'despite appropriate initial management and attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation, the patient did not recover'. The death of the Coconino county resident marks the first recorded pneumonic plague death in the county in 18 years but not the most recent human plague case in Arizona – the state has recorded seven cases of plague since 2006. Nationally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say about seven human cases of plague are reported annually across the country, but only 15 plague deaths have been recorded in a 23-year period beginning in 2000. Most cases have been seen in rural areas in the west. Typically, the CDC says, Yersinia pestis cycles naturally among wild rodents. And while most contract the disease though flea bites, they can become infected through exposure to sick pets, especially cats. The plague death comes as officials in the county are investigating a sudden die-off of prairie dogs north-east of Flagstaff that may be caused by plague. County officials have said they don't think the human plague death and the prairie dog mortalities are related. But they also issued guidelines about how to avoid contracting the plague, including avoiding contact with wild animals, touching sick or dead animals, camping near rodent burrows, or sleeping directly on the ground. They advise using insect repellent and tucking the cuffs of your trouser leg into your socks. Coconino county health officials said the risk of human-to-human transmission of pneumonic plague is low. The last such transmission was in Los Angeles in 1924, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) data. Still, the symptoms of the Black Death – named for black spots that appeared on infected bodies – remain present. US health officials say plague symptoms typically appear within eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness and muscle pain, and some may develop swollen lymph nodes (called 'buboes'), most commonly in the groin, armpits or limbs. But the timing of the human plague death, and the prairie dog die-off, is raising concerns. Plague is one of many diseases endemic to the south-western US, including West Nile virus, hantavirus and rabies. Trish Lees, communications manager for Coconino county, told the Arizona Republic the number of prairie dogs that have died was unknown.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
US: Arizona resident dies from plague, 1st in 2 decades
Representative image (AP) A resident of Coconino County, Arizona, died from pneumonic plague, the first such death in the county in almost two decades, officials said Friday. The resident went to Flagstaff Medical Centre recently and died the same day despite attempts to provide "lifesaving resuscitation," according to a statement from Northern Arizona Healthcare, which runs the hospital. Test confirmed the patient was infected with Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes the pneumonic plague, which appears as a severe lung infection. It was the first recorded death from pneumonic plague in Coconino County since 2007, officials said. The risk of exposure to the plague remains low, officials said. It's rare for cases of the disease to appear in humans, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
New York Times
12-07-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Arizona Resident Dies From Plague, Officials Say
A resident of Coconino County, Ariz., died from pneumonic plague, the first such death in the county in almost two decades, officials announced on Friday. The resident went to Flagstaff Medical Center recently and died the same day despite attempts to provide 'lifesaving resuscitation,' according to a statement on Friday from Northern Arizona Healthcare, which runs the hospital. Rapid diagnostic testing confirmed that the patient was infected with Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes the pneumonic plague, which appears as a severe lung infection. It was the first recorded death from the pneumonic plague in Coconino County, which is north of Phoenix, since 2007, county officials said in a statement. Additional details about the case, including when the patient died, were not released. The risk of exposure to the plague remains low, officials said. It's rare for cases of the disease to appear in humans, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Plague occurs naturally in the western United States and circulates among the rodent populations there, the agency said. The plague infamously struck Europe in the 1340s, killing large parts of the continent's population. The outbreak began in a trader settlement in what is now Kyrgyzstan before spreading across Eurasia. The outbreak was known as the Black Death, for the black spots that appeared on the bodies of the sick, who were infected with Yersinia pestis after being bitten by fleas that lived on rodents. According to Arizona officials, the 2007 death happened after the person came into contact with a dead animal infected with plague. Humans are usually infected through the bite of an infected rodent flea or by handling an infected animal, the C.D.C. said. An average of seven human plague cases are reported each year in the United States, according to the agency. Pneumonic plague symptoms include fever, headache and rapidly developing pneumonia, with shortness of breath, chest pain and coughing. Symptoms develop within one to eight days of exposure. Plague can be cured through antibiotics, but the treatment must be given quickly, according to the C.D.C. The risk of human-to-human transmission of the plague is low and the last known case happened in 1924 in Los Angeles, according to the National Institutes of Health. Plague is one of many diseases endemic to the southwestern United States, including West Nile virus, hantavirus and rabies. In New Mexico, Betsy Arakawa, the wife of the actor Gene Hackman, died from hantavirus this year, most likely after coming into contact with infected rodents.
