Coconino County has confirmed its first human death from the plague in nearly two decades.
Health officials say a Coconino County resident has died from pneumonic plague — a rare but serious lung infection.
It’s the first confirmed pneumonic plague death in the county since 2007, when an individual contracted the disease after interacting with an infected dead animal.
Health officials say this case is not connected to a mass prairie dog die-off reported northeast of Flagstaff.
According to a county spokesperson, the disease is believed to have been transmitted through inhalation of the bacteria that causes the plague.
Human-to-human transmission of the bacteria is extremely rare, and officials say the risk to the public remains low.
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