Overview

• The unidentified patient died at Flagstaff Medical Center on July 11 after showing severe respiratory symptoms and not responding to resuscitation efforts.
• Laboratory tests confirmed Yersinia pestis as the cause, marking the first pneumonic plague fatality in Coconino County since 2007.
• Officials determined the human case was not linked to a nearby prairie dog die-off and are expanding wildlife surveillance.
• Coconino County Health and Human Services is collecting flea samples and treating rodent burrows on private land to monitor plague reservoirs.
• The CDC reports an average of seven human plague cases per year in the U.S., with antibiotics yielding over 90% survival if administered early.