An Arizona resident died on Friday from the pneumonic plague, Coconino County officials said. The infection is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium.

What To Know

Arizona health officials clarified that the death is unrelated to a recent prairie dog die-off in the Townsend-Winona area, located northeast of Flagstaff.

"This is the first recorded death from Pneumonic plague in Coconino County since 2007 when an individual had an interaction with a dead animal infected with the disease," the state said in a statement.

Plague is rare in humans and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that an average of seven human plague cases are reported per year.

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The bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, can be transmitted to animals through bites from

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