Third person tests positive in US for plague as serious health warning issued

A third person in the US has tested positive for the plague and yes, I’m talking about people getting that diagnosis in 2025.

You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m referencing cases from centuries ago, with the plague probably popping up in your school history lessons.

The disease notoriously wiped-out tens of millions, with up to half of Europe’s population killed by it in the 14^th century.

And while it’s now very rare, the plague is still cropping up in people’s systems all these centuries later. Earlier this month, a South Lake Tahoe resident tested positive, with a person in Arizona dying from pneumonic plague in July (marking the county’s first recorded death from the disease since 2007).

The third case this year has now been found in New Mexico, with the 43-year-old man having since been discharged from hospital.

The plague seems more like a thing of the past than reality (Getty Stock Image)

The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) reported that he had recently been camping in Rio Arriba County which borders Colorado as officials believe this is where he may have been exposed.

“This case reminds us of the severe threat that can be posed by this ancient disease,” said Erin Phipps, state public health veterinarian for NMDOH.

“It also emphasises the need for heightened community awareness and for taking measures to prevent further spread.”

Plague is very rare in humans nowadays and can be treated with antibiotics. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there is typically seven cases in the US each year and it is no longer found here in the UK.

There are different forms of the disease with the most common being bubonic plague, AKA the 'Black Death', caused by the bite of an infected flea. Pneumonic plague is the most serious and usually rare form, and spreads to the lungs from other untreated forms.

In humans, symptoms of bubonic plague usually appear within two to eight days and typically include: fever, chills, headache, swollen lymph nodes and weakness.

Yersinia Pestis bacteria causes bubonic plague in humans and animals (BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)

The recent case in South Lake Tahoe was also believed to have been caused by the person getting bitten by an infected flea while camping.

Following that announcement, El Dorado County's acting public health director, Kyle Fliflet, warned: “It's important that individuals take precautions for themselves and their pets when outdoors, especially while walking, hiking and or camping in areas where wild rodents are present.”

Officials have cautioned people (and their pets) to not touch squirrels, chipmunks or other wild rodents, particularly those that are injured or dead as this is where fleas tend to acquire the plague bacteria from too.

In the case of the Arizona resident’s death, they had interacted with a dead animal that was infected.