India, July 12 -- A person in northern Arizona has died from pneumonic plague, local health officials informed on Friday, July 11. The patient, who is yet to be identified, hailed from Coconino County and was taken to the Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department with severe symptoms, with the death confirmed on the same day.

The rapid diagnostic testing revealed the presence of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for plague, NBC News reported.

The fatality occurred amid the recent die-off of prairie dogs in the Townsend-Winona area, which is situated northeast of Flagstaff. Health officials in Arizona have clarified that the death is unrelated to the prairie dog die-off, according to Newsweek.

In a statement, the hospital i...