A US citizen has died of pneumonic plague, becoming the first person to have died from the disease since 2007. The deceased has been identified as an Arizona resident, with the Coconino County Health and Human Services confirming the death, according to a BBC report.
The patient suffered from Yersinia pestis, the plague-causing bacteria, which was determined by the Arizona Department of Health Services through rapid diagnostic testing. Despite the death, Coconino County government assured that the risk to the public of exposure remains low.
"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased. We are keeping them in our thoughts during this difficult time. Out of respect for the family, no additional information about the death will be released," Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chair Patrice Horstman said in a statement.
Plague is a bacterial infection that was referred to as "The Black Death" in the 14th century when it killed half of Europe's population during an eight-year period between 1346 and 1353.
What is pneumonic plague?
There are different forms of plague, such as bubonic plague and septicemic plague, which are generally caused by the bite of an infected flea. However, pneumonic plague, which spreads to the lungs from other untreated forms of plague, is the most serious and is usually rare.
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.
It is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person. The incubation period of pneumonic plague following inhalation can be as short as one day.
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Symptoms of pneumonic plague
- Fever, headache and weakness
- Pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough
- Sometimes bloody or watery mucous.
- Cure for pneumonic plague
Though plague is potentially life-threatening, it can be cured with antibiotics, but treatment must be given quickly.
