New Mexico health officials said Monday it has identified its first human case of the plague in the state this year.
The case was confirmed in a 43-year-old man from Valencia County, who had recently gone camping in Rio Arriba County, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
The man was hospitalized for treatment, but has since been discharged.
Plague is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, and is primarily transmitted to humans through rodent flea bites from animals like rats, squirrels and chipmunks or from handling a dead, infected animal.
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Health officials tell Scripps News the case in New Mexico was both bubonic, which is the most common type of plague, and septicemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, septicemic plague can occur as the first symptom of plague or may develop from untreated bubonic plague.
The third and most serious type of plague is pneumonic, which is when the bacteria spread to the lungs of a patient with untreated bubonic or septicemic plague, the CDC said. It can also occur when a person inhales infectious droplets coughed out by another person or animal with pneumonic plague, and it is the only form that can be spread from person to person.
Plague can be cured with antibiotics if they are given to a patient promptly. Otherwise, it could result in more serious illness or death, the CDC said.
Some of the symptoms of plague in humans include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache and weakness, the New Mexico Department of Health said.
Cases of the plague are extremely rare in the U.S., with an average of seven cases reported per year since 2000, according to data from the CDC.
However, those cases are typically found in rural parts of the western U.S., including New Mexico, Arizona and California — which have all had confirmed cases in their states so far this year.
The last human plague case in New Mexico was a Lincoln County resident in 2024.
Even rarer are deaths attributed to the plague, with the last death in the U.S. occurring in 2021 before a deadly case earlier this year in Arizona.
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These are the precautions the New Mexico Department of Health recommends you take to lower your risk of getting the plague:
- Avoid sick or dead rodents and rabbits and their nests and burrows.
- Clean up areas near your home where rodents live, such as woodpiles, brush piles, junk and abandoned vehicles.
- Put hay, wood and compost piles as far as possible from your home.
- Use insect repellent while hiking, camping, or working outdoors. Products containing DEET are recommended and can be applied to both skin and clothing, and products containing permethrin can be applied to clothing.
- Talk to your veterinarian about using an appropriate flea control product on your pets because not all products are safe for cats, dogs and children.
- Have sick pets examined promptly by a veterinarian.
- See your doctor about any unexplained illness you may have involving sudden and severe fever.
- Do not leave your pet’s food and water where rodents and wildlife can get to it.
