Last month, I reported that Oregon had its first human bubonic plague case in nearly 10 years. It appears the pet cat was the carrier of the fleas that led to this particular infection.
That case was not fatal. However, the disease recently claimed the life of a man in New Mexico.
In a statement released on Friday, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) announced the death of an unidentified man from Lincoln County.“We extend our deepest sympathy to the family of the Lincoln County man who succumbed to plague,” said State Public Health Veterinarian Erin Phipps, DVM, MPH. “This tragic incident serves as a clear reminder of the threat posed by this ancient disease and emphasizes the need for heightened community awareness and proactive measures to prevent its spread.”According to the NMDOH, the man’s death was the first reported human case of the bubonic plague in New Mexico since 2021 and the first death since 2020, when there were four reported human cases of the plague in the state.
While the disease is rare, most reported cases occur in the Four Corners region.
Once a great killer, the bubonic plague now infects fewer than 10 Americans a year, according to the CDC. However, the disease has come extremely rare thanks to improved hygiene and innovations of modern medicine like antibiotics.Most occur in the Four Corners area of the US – New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona – because the area has a high concentration of rodents due to its favorable climate, experts say.In bubonic plague, the most common type, the infection spreads to immune glands called lymph nodes, causing them to become swollen and painful. These may progress to 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 US have been bubonic.
The bubonic plague is caused by Yersinia pestis, which is found in rodents (and the fleas that bite those animals). When infected, patients experience a wide array of symptoms (headache, fever, chills) to swollen lymph nodes known as buboes, from which the disease takes its name.
“The buboes form at the site of the bite from the infected rodent or flea,” explained Erica Susky, a certified infection control practitioner based in Canada.While there is no vaccine, the plague can be remedied with antibiotics if caught early.However, it can also become fatal if left untreated.“Bubonic plague is a serious infectious illness alone, but can also develop quickly into more severe and deadly forms of plague,” Susky warned. “More serious forms include pneumonic and septicemic plague, which is where the bacteria invade the lungs and bloodstream.”To mitigate the risk of transmission, experts advise people to prevent pets from roaming and hunting and to avoid sick or dead rodents and rabbits as well as their nests and burrows.
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