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Arizona, first death from pneumonic plague since 2007: one case confirmed in Coconino County

Authorities reassure the public: low risk to the population. Plague can manifest in three forms, with pneumonic plague being the most dangerous in terms of contagiousness

A death from pneumonic plague has been confirmed in Coconino County, Arizona. This is the first fatal case in the region since 2007. The county’s Department of Health and Human Services announced the news, emphasising that the risk to the population remains low.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of seven cases of human plague are reported in the United States each year. In the previous case in 2007, the infected person had had direct contact with a dead animal carrying the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which causes the disease.

Plague is a bacterial infectious disease transmitted mainly by fleas parasitising rodents, prairie dogs and other small mammals. According to the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), it manifests itself in three main forms: bubonic, septicaemic and pneumonic.

The bubonic form is the most common and develops after being bitten by an infected flea or through direct contact with contaminated material. It manifests itself with buboes (swollen lymph nodes), fever, headache and chills, but is not transmissible from person to person.

Haemorrhagic plague results from the spread of the bacterium in the blood and can occur even in the absence of buboes. It causes high fever, abdominal pain, shock and bleeding. This form is also not transmissible between humans.

Pneumonic plague, confirmed in the Arizona case, is the most serious and contagious form. It affects the lungs and can be transmitted through the air via saliva droplets or aerosols emitted by an infected patient. Symptoms include fever, cough, chest pain, shortness of breath and weakness. Without prompt treatment, it can be fatal within a few days.

There is no vaccine available for plague, but early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential. According to the CDC, antibiotic treatment within 24 hours of symptom onset (streptomycin, gentamicin, tetracyclines or chloramphenicol) can save lives. A 7-day course of antibiotic prophylaxis is also recommended for people who have been in close contact with the patient.

Local health authorities are closely monitoring the situation and urge caution, noting that the risk of spread to the general population remains very low.

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