‘Black Death’ in Arizona: A resident of north Arizona died from pneumonic plague, marking the first death in the region in 18 years. The last death was reported in 2007, when an individual had contact with a dead animal infected with the disease, health officials said on Friday.
Plague, once known as the “Black Death” that nearly wiped out half of Europe’s population, is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis – with two main clinical forms of plague infection — bubonic and pneumonic, as per the World Health Organization (WHO).
It is now rare in humans and treatable with antibiotics.
‘Patient did not recover’
On Friday, the Arizona patient, however, did not recover despite ‘appropriate initial management,’ and ‘attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation,’ reported NBC News.
Rapid tests of the Arizona patient suggested that the person was infected with the same bacteria Yersinia pestis — that causes pneumonic and bubonic plague.
The patient from Coconino County visited Arizona’s Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department and died there the same day, NBC News reported, citing a statement by Northern Arizona Healthcare.
What is pneumonic plague
Pneumonic plague is a severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium.
Pneumonic plague, which spreads to the lungs from other untreated forms of plague, is the most serious and is usually rare.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pneumonic plague “develops when bacteria spread to the lungs of a patient with untreated bubonic or septicemic plague, or when a person inhales infectious droplets coughed out by another person or animal with pneumonic plague.”
The UK government has said that plague no longer exists in the nation, and the chances of it occurring in a country is “very low,” reported BBC.
What are the other forms of plague
The causative bacterium of pneumonic plague — Yersinia pestis — also causes bubonic plague.
Apart from pneumonic plague, there are different forms of plague, which includes the bubonic plague. It is the most common form of plague, and spreads through the bite of an infected flea.
Symptoms of bubonic plague
Symptoms of the bubonic plague in humans typically appear within two to eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.
Prevention measures include using a DEET-based insect repellent to protect against flea bites, avoiding contact with dead animals, infected tissues or materials, and avoiding close contact with patients who have the symptoms, and crowded areas where recent cases have been reported.