Officials confirm deadly case of plague in northern Arizona

PHOENIX – A northern Arizona resident recently died from pneumonic plague, officials announced Friday.

It was the first confirmed death from the severe lung infection in Coconino County since 2007, according to Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS).

The patient died after going to the Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department, which is run by Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH).

CCHHS received test results on 7/11/25 confirming a Coconino County resident died from pneumonic plague. The death is NOT related to a recent report of a prairie dog die-off in the Townsend Winona area. The risk to the public remains LOW. Visit https://t.co/Yk05AHXPNu for more. pic.twitter.com/MezFq9rU0U

— Coconino County Health and Human Services (@CoconinoHHS) July 11, 2025

“Despite appropriate initial management and attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation, the patient did not recover and died in the emergency department the same day. The NAH team is saddened by this loss of a community member,” NAH said in a statement.

State and local health authorities are collaborating on the case.

What is plague and how does it spread?

Plague is generally is seen in three forms – pneumonic, bubonic and septicemic — but is rare in humans.

Most cases are of the bubonic variety, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pneumonic is the most serious form and the only type that can be transmitted between humans.

An average of seven plague cases are reported in the U.S. annually, most in rural areas of northern New Mexico and Arizona, the CDC said.

The disease is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. It can spread to humans who are bitten by infected fleas or who handle infected animals.

CCHHS said the new case in not related to a recent prairie dog die-off reported northeast of Flagstaff in the Townsend-Winona area.

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