| Last week, local health authorities in northern Arizona confirmed a person died of the plague. It’s the county’s first death from pneumonic plague, a type of bacteria that infects the lungs, since 2007. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the victim, like the person’s age and gender, how the disease was contracted or what symptoms were displayed. But the person was diagnosed with the Yersinia pestis bacterium, which can be transmitted to humans through infected flea bites or interaction with an infected animal, according to local health officials. The Arizona death comes months after actor Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa died of hantavirus in New Mexico – a disease transmitted by rodents. The headlines may make you wonder whether you could be susceptible to an infection. The good news: Any type of plague is extremely rare. Still, it’s good to know the signs and what carries the disease to keep yourself protected from the medieval scourge. There are three types of plague, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic. Also known as the Black Death, the bubonic plague caused one of the most fatal pandemics in human history in Europe in the 1300s. Symptoms of bubonic plague include swollen lymph nodes, or “buboes,” around the area where the bacteria entered the body. Septicemic plague can develop from untreated bubonic plague or as the first symptom of the disease — tissues turn black and die. Pneumonic plague – what the person in Arizona died from – is the most infectious form for humans. It comes from wild rodent bacteria that’s spread by flea bites or by inhaling infected droplets. Rapid onset pneumonia may develop as a result. Pneumonic is the only form that spreads between humans. The last recorded human-to-human transmission of pneumonic plague was in 1924. All forms of plague include symptoms of fever, chills and weakness. Human plague infections have become rare, and the risk is low for the general public, the CDC says. But people who live in areas where the disease is endemic – including the American southwest – should take precautions. Make your home rodent proof. Use gloves if you are handling potentially infected animals and bug repellant if you will be out hiking and potentially near fleas. Use flea control products on your pets and keep pets who may roam outside in endemic areas off your bed. Vaccines for the plague exist but are not widely available in the US because the disease is uncommon. Just this week, a group of Israeli researchers announced the development of the first mRNA vaccine for the pneumonic plague. The plague can be fatal, but can be treated with antibiotics if you catch an infection early. And if you survive, maybe buy a lottery ticket. — Jessica Nix | 
