‘Most serious' kind of plague kills Arizona resident, health officials say
The person tested positive for pneumonic plague July 11 in Coconino County, the Health and Human Services Department said in a news release.
Pneumonic plague is a 'severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium,' health officials said.
It's the first reported death related to this form of the plague in Coconino County since 2007, officials said.
That year, the person was infected after coming into contact with a dead animal with the disease, officials said.
Health officials said it's rare for humans to get the plague as there are about seven cases in the U.S. every year.
Because of this, the risk of exposure for the public is low, officials said.
People are most commonly infected with three types of the plague: pneumonic, bubonic and septicemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Someone can get pneumonic plague when the bacteria spreads to the lungs while a person is infected with bubonic or septicemic plague, the federal agency said
It can also be transmitted when a person inhales the droplets from a sick person or animal.
'Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease and is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person,' the agency said.
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