A 43-year-old man from Valencia County, New Mexico, has tested positive for the plague, prompting a warning from state health officials about the severe threat the ancient disease still poses.
The patient, believed to have been exposed while camping in Rio Arriba County, was hospitalised but has since been discharged.
The patient was diagnosed with both bubonic and septicemic plague, presenting symptoms that included inflamed, painful lymph nodes and a bloodstream infection.
The case, the first in the state this year, comes after a man died from plague in 2024. Health officials stressed the need for heightened community awareness, advising residents to use insect repellent, avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife, and keep potential rodent habitats away from homes.
The bacterial disease, spread by fleas and wildlife, can manifest as bubonic, septicemic, or pneumonic plague, each with potentially fatal consequences if untreated.
Yeah right.