A man in New Mexico became the first American in years to pass away from the plague last week, as shared by health officials.
The unnamed individual from Lincoln County, located just south of Albuquerque, didn’t have any other details about him, including his name, age, or health status.
The New Mexico Department of Health shared how it was carrying out track and trace methods to see if anyone else had been infected.
He happens to be the first person in the US to pass away from the plague, which is said to be a condition that wiped out half of Europe’s population in the 14th century.
It’s still not clear how the man caught this disease, but it’s said to spread to humans through bites from fleas, rodents, and exposure to dead animals.
The case comes one month after another unidentified resident in Oregon was sickened by the plague, which officials believe was contracted from their cat.
Once a great killer, the bubonic plague now infects fewer than 10 Americans every year, according to the CDC. However, this condition has become extremely rare thanks to improved hygiene and innovations in modern medications such as antibiotics.
Most arise in the Four Corners area of America- New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. This is due to the fact that high concentrations of rodents grow in this favorable type of climate.
The most common type of bubonic plague impacts the immune glands called lymph nodes and these cause them to get so swollen and painful. This could give rise to open sores.
As per the CDC, symptoms usually arise 2 to 8 days and include fever, chills, weakness, and headache.