A New Mexico man became the first American in years to die of the plague last week, health officials announced.
The unnamed patient was from Lincoln County, just south of Albuquerque, but no other details have been released about him — including his age or health condition.
The New Mexico Department of Health said it was working on traces and tracing methods to see if anyone else had been infected.
He is the first person in America to die of the plague — a disease that wiped out half of Europe’s population in the 14th century — since 2020.
A New Mexico man has become the first to die of the plague in the US this year after contracting Yesinia Pestis bacteria (pictured, in red file)
Most plague cases in the United States since 1970 have occurred in the Four Corners area, which includes New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado
It is unclear how the man caught the disease, although it is typically spread to humans through bites from fleas or rodents, as well as exposure to other dead animals.
The case comes a month after an unidentified Oregon resident fell ill with the plague, which officials believe they contracted from their cat.
Once a major killer, bubonic plague now infects fewer than 10 Americans a year, according to the CDC. However, the disease has become extremely rare thanks to improved hygiene and innovations in modern medicine such as antibiotics.
In bubonic plague, the most common type, the infection spreads to immune glands called lymph nodes, causing them to become swollen and painful. These can develop into open sores.
Symptoms usually develop within two to eight days and include fever, headache, chills and weakness.
The CDC estimates that 80 percent of plague cases in the United States have been bubonic.
If the infection is not treated properly with antibiotics, it can spread to other areas of the body.
The CDC estimates that seven cases of the plague are reported each year in the United States
It is unclear how the New Mexico man contracted the plague. In Oregon, a patient contracted the disease from his cat. Cats, both wild and domestic, can carry numerous diseases – some of which can be transmitted to humans
Pneumonic plague, for example, occurs when the disease spreads to the lungs.
Symptoms appear in just one to three days and involve rapidly developing pneumonia, characterized by shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and bloody or watery mucus.
Over time, this can lead to respiratory failure.
And septicemic plague is when infection spreads to the blood.
Patients typically develop fever, chills, extreme weakness, abdominal pain, shock, and bleeding into the skin and other organs. Septicemic plague is almost always fatal.
In the 14th century, bubonic plague spread rapidly across Europe, wiping out 30 to 50 percent of the population in just seven years.
However, it is extremely rare today. There are about seven cases of human plague reported each year, according to the CDC.
Although it can occur at any age, the CDC says 50 percent of cases are in people ages 12 to 45.
In addition, the risk is slightly higher in men, which the agency says may be because men engage in more outdoor activities.
Dr. Robert Bollinger, professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, told USA TODAY: ‘It is not unusual to have an isolated case of bubonic plague.’
‘It’s serious when it happens, but it’s treatable if you catch it early enough.’
Dr. Bollinger estimated that 80 percent of plague cases occur in the four corners of the United States – New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona – because the area has a high concentration of rodents.
Plague was last reported in New Mexico in 2021.
In 2020, four cases—one fatal—were reported in three New Mexico counties: Santa Fe, Torrance, and Rio Arriba.
And in 2017, two women and one man got the disease. All survived.
In the Oregon case last month, Dr. Richard Fawcett, a health officer for Deschutes County – where the patient lived – said the person’s cat was very sick and showing symptoms.
The animal had a oozing abscess and the owner’s infection probably started in a lymph node but had quickly progressed to infect the bloodstream. The patient was given antibiotics and has ‘responded well’ to the treatment.
It was the first case of bubonic plague in Oregon since a 16-year-old contracted the disease in 2015.
The teenager became ill after being bitten by an infected flea during a hunting trip near Heppner, Morrow County.
There had been eight cases in the state in the previous 20 years, none of which resulted in death.
In 2012, an Oregon man lost his fingers and toes to the plague. He also contracted the disease from his cat after trying to remove a mouse from his cat’s throat.
To prevent plague, the CDC recommends reducing the risk of rodents settling in your home or workplace. Additionally, wear gloves if handling or skinning potentially infected animals, use repellent if you think you have been exposed to fleas, and keep fleas away from your pets.
Dr. Erin Phipps, New Mexico State Public Health Veterinarian, said: ‘We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the Lincoln County man who succumbed to the plague.’
“This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the threat posed by this ancient disease and underscores the need for increased community awareness and proactive measures to prevent its spread.”