A deadly case of pneumonic plague has claimed a life in Northern Arizona, with the victim dying at Flagstaff Medical Center on July 11- the region's first such death since 2007 . This shocking incident underlines the lethal potential of a disease that, while rare, progresses rapidly and can be fatal within two days without treatment ( ref1 ).

Pneumonic plague is caused by bacteria carried by species like rats and prairie dogs. Pneumonic and bubonic plague transmission and symptoms vary. Pneumonic plague killed a resident of northern Arizona, who died in the emergency room at Flagstaff Medical Center.

The patient had the pneumonic plague, the rarest and deadliest form of the disease. Human cases remain very uncommon in the United States, though plague is endemic to the western part of the country