A resident of Arizona died from the Plague last week, health officials report. The man visited the emergency room with symptoms and died the same day. The Plague is a bacterial illness that caused millions of Europeans to die in the 1300s. Today, the disease is extremely rare and is usually cured with antibiotics if given early enough. This was the first plague death recorded in the US since 2007. Approximately, seven cases occur each year in the United States.
There are three main types of plague based on where in the body the bacteria strikes: 1) Pneumonic plague which affects the lungs, 2) Bubonic plague, which was responsible for the 14th century “black death” pandemic, and causes severely swollen lymph nodes and 3) Septicemic plague, when the bacteria infects the bloodstream. Laboratory tests have confirmed that the Arizona patient had pneumonic plague.
Full Story: E is for Epi, NBC News, AZ Central
