A New Mexico man died last week from the bubonic plague after being hospitalized for the illness.
Identifying information about the man’s name, race, or age were not given. He lived in Lincoln County southeast of Albuquerque.
“We extend our deepest sympathy to the family of the Lincoln County man who succumbed to plague,” State Public Health Veterinarian Erin Phipps said. “This tragic incident serves as a clear reminder of the threat posed by this ancient disease and emphasizes the need for heightened community awareness and proactive measures to prevent its spread.”
In 2020, there were four causes of the plague across New Mexico. His death marks the state’s first death from the plague since 2020 and the first case since 2021.
According to the New Mexico Department of Health, the plague is carried by rodents and can spread by direct contact with animals such as pets. Cats or dogs that are allowed to roam freely may pick up the plague and bring it home, infecting humans.
It was not made clear by the NMDOH how the man contracted the plague. In order to avoid the plague from household pets, the NMDOH recommends taking sick pets to veterinarians to be evaluated and not allowing cats and dogs to roam freely.
Over the past 50 years, the plague has been most prevalent in the rural southwestern United States. New Mexico had the most bubonic plague cases over that 50-year period, with 253 reported cases out of 496 nationwide. The CDC estimates that 80% of those plague cases were bubonic.
Research suggests New Mexico has a higher-than-average plague concentration due to the state’s geography and ecology.
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While the plague caused pandemics across Europe during the Middle Ages, it is thought to have been introduced to the Americas in the 1900s when “Old World” rats came by ship to North America. Symptoms of the bubonic plague include fever, chills, weakness, abdominal pain, shock, and bleeding into the skin and other organs.
The NMDOH is conducting contact tracing and an environmental assessment of the area where the man who died resided.