Arizona patient dies in emergency room from plague

A person in northern Arizona died of a case of Pneumonic Plague, said local health officials.

The unidentified patient, from County Coconino, presented himself to the emergency department of Flagstaff Medical Center and died on the same day, said northern Arizona Healthcare in a press release. We do not know when the death occurred.

The hospital noted that “an appropriate initial management” and “vital resuscitation attempts” was made, but “the patient did not recover”.

Rapid diagnostic tests have led to an alleged diagnosis of Pestis de Yersinia.

Coconino County Health and Human Services said that test results confirmed on Friday that the patient had died of pneumonic plague, described as “a severe pulmonary infection caused by the bacteria Yersinia Pestis”.

This has marked the first recorded death of the pneumonic plague in the county since 2007, when an individual had an interaction with an animal dead infected with the disease, according to county officials.

The most common forms of plague are bobonic, pneumonic and septicemic. The pneumonic plague “develops when bacteria spread to the lungs of a patient with an untreated bubonic or septicemic plague, or when a person inhales infectious droplets notched by another person or animal suffering from pneumonic plague”, according to the disease control and prevention centers.

Bubonic plague – known for having killed millions in Europe in the Middle Ages – is now rare, but some cases are reported in the United West Rural United States each year, as well as in certain regions of Africa and Asia, according to the CDC. The disease is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis and affects people and other mammals.

Symptoms generally appear within two to six days of infection and include fever and inflated painful lymph nodes, most often in the armpit, groin and neck.

On average, seven cases of human plague are reported each year in the United States, but these cases are not always fatal, according to CDC data from 2000 to 2023.

Humans are generally infected with a bite of an infected rodent chip or by manipulating an animal bearing the disease, according to the CDC. It can be easily healed if they offer antibiotics early.

The hospital works with the Cortea de Coconino health and social services department and the Arizona Ministry of Health Services to investigate the case.

“Nah would like to remind anyone who suspects that they are sick with a contagious disease to contact their health care provider. If their illness is serious, they should go to the emergency room and immediately ask a mask to help prevent the spread of the disease while they access timely and important care,” the hospital said.

Earlier in the week, Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) reported a death from Prairie Dog in the Townsend Winona region, northeast of Flagstaff – which said that “can be an indicator of the plague”. The ministry noted that recent death is not linked to the death of the Prairie dog.

The affected area was on private lands and the CCHHS worked with the owner to collect chips for tests. The burrows will also be treated to reduce fleas activity and the area will be monitored.

“Our hearts go to the family and friends of the deceased,” said the chairman of the Comté de Coconino supervisors, Patrice Horstman. “We keep them in our thoughts during this difficult period. Out of respect for the family, no additional information on death will be published. ”