US state rocked by sudden death from medieval disease... as officials warn more to come
Coconino County health officials withheld the person's name and gender, but confirmed their cause of death to be pneumonic plague caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis.
The patient showed up to the Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department and died there the same day despite life-saving attempts.
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 CDC from 2000 to 2023.
The hospital is collaborating with Coconino County Health and Human Services and the Arizona Department of Health Services to investigate the incident.
Earlier this week, Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) warned of a prairie dog die-off near Townsend Winona, just northeast of Flagstaff — a potential warning sign of plague activity. However, officials confirmed the recent human fatality is unrelated to this animal outbreak.
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US state rocked by sudden death from medieval disease... as officials warn more to come
An Arizona resident had succumbed to the Black Death, marking the county's first plague death since 2007. Coconino County health officials withheld the person's name and gender, but confirmed their cause of death to be pneumonic plague caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. The patient showed up to the Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department and died there the same day despite life-saving attempts. 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 CDC from 2000 to 2023. The hospital is collaborating with Coconino County Health and Human Services and the Arizona Department of Health Services to investigate the incident. Earlier this week, Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) warned of a prairie dog die-off near Townsend Winona, just northeast of Flagstaff — a potential warning sign of plague activity. However, officials confirmed the recent human fatality is unrelated to this animal outbreak.
