A tragic incident occurred as an American passed away shortly after being diagnosed with pneumonic plague on the day of his admission to the hospital.
The individual, who has not yet been named, is thought to have contracted the illness in Coconino County, located in northern Arizona.
He reportedly visited the Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department, situated in Flagstaff — approximately two hours from Phoenix — where he succumbed to the disease on the same day.
Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) released a statement indicating that medical professionals attempted life-saving measures, but unfortunately, the patient “did not recover.”
Same-day testing revealed he was infected with Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for plague. Officials confirmed on July 11 that he specifically had the pneumonic type, described as “a severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium.”
This marks the first death from the disease in Coconino County since 2007.
Dave Wagner from Northern Arizona University, who has conducted research on the plague, informed 12 News that the infection is often traced back to rodents such as prairie dogs, which are known to host the disease. These rodents can transmit the infection to pets or wild animals through fleas, which can then pass it to humans.
The hospital, in conjunction with Coconino County Health and Human Services Department and the Arizona Department of Health Services, is investigating the incident.
NAH emphasized: “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.”
Plague generally appears in three forms: bubonic, which caused the ‘Black Death’ in the 18th century, as well as pneumonic and septicemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the pneumonic plague arises 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.”
Although instances of the plague are uncommon, they do occur occasionally, with an average of seven annual cases reported in the United States between 2000 and 2023. However, fatalities are rare, according to the CDC.