Women's Health April 15, 2026 0 Comments

Is This Arizona Plague Case a Rare Health Crisis or the Next Big Fitness Threat You Need to Know About?

Alright, so you’ve probably heard about the plague before — yeah, that ghastly medieval nightmare that wiped out more than a third of Europe’s population. Sounds like something from a history book, right? But hold up… just last week, Arizona reported a fresh case. Yep, plague isn’t stuck in the past. It’s creeping back into headlines, and naturally, it kicks up a swirl of questions – should you freak out? Or just chill? I mean, what even is plague these days? And how much of a threat does it really pose? I dug into this with two top infectious disease experts to sort out fact from fiction, so you don’t have to lose sleep over some ancient disease making a cameo on our doorstep. Intrigued? Buckle up — here’s the lowdown. LEARN MORE

3 min read

You’re probably familiar on some level with plague, the terrifying illness that killed more than a third of the population of Europe in the Middle Ages. The Black Death, or bubonic plague, was the most famous historical plague pandemic, but thankfully isn’t something you hear about much in modern times. So, it’s understandable to be a little concerned when you read headlines that there was a recent case of plague in Arizona last week.

Details are scarce, but we know a little, based on what Arizona’s Apache County Public Health Services District has shared. According to a press release, a resident of the county contracted plague and has “recovered following appropriate medical care.” This is the first confirmed case of plague in the county since 2015 and the fourth since 2006.

What does this mean for everyone else? And, more importantly, how concerned should you be? We tapped two infectious disease doctors to find out.

Meet the experts: Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and Thomas Russo, MD, a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York.

What is plague?

Plague is an infectious disease caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria, which can be found in many areas around the world, including the U.S.

People usually become infected with plague by being bitten by an infected flea from a rodent or by handling an infected dead animal, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There are four kinds of plague, according to the Cleveland Clinic: Bubonic plague, septicemic plague, pneumonic plague (the most serious form and the only type spread from person to person), and pharyngeal plague (a rare kind of plague you get from eating infected meat). While it’s not clear what type of plague was detected in Arizona, more than 80 percent of plague cases in the U.S. are bubonic.

Bubonic plague causes fever, headache, chills, and weakness, with one or more swollen, painful lymph nodes called buboes, per the CDC. If a patient isn’t treated with the right antibiotics, the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body.

How common is plague in the U.S.?

Plague cases show up each year in the U.S., with the CDC noting that the country sees an average of seven cases annually. The disease shows up most commonly in the western U.S., with most cases in northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, southern Colorado, California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada.

“We have a few cases each year in the U.S.,” says Thomas Russo, MD, a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. “It has this cycle in rodents and is primarily in the Four-Corners region of the southwest in this country.”

How concerned should you be?

Unless you’re traveling to areas where plague is more common, infectious disease doctors aren’t concerned. Even then, it’s just important to know that plague is still circulating, usually in rodent populations. “People who live in those areas are usually aware of the risk of plague,” adds Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Still, if you live in or visit those areas, Russo says you should be fine. “If you come into contact with a rodent directly or if you get bitten by a flea [from] a rodent that was infected by plague, you can get plague,” he says. “Often this happens with people who have had direct contact with wild animals, like prairie dogs. Just don’t play with wild animals, dead or alive.”

If you do develop signs of plague and you’ve been in an area where the disease is more common, see a doctor. Plague is treatable with commonly available antibiotics.

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.