According to the Utah Department of Health, plague is naturally occurring in Utah and is seen in the prairie dog population annually. Officials are still investigating how this patient contracted the illness, which is typically spread to humans via fleas or from contact with an infected animal.
Prior to this patient, the last case of human plague in Utah was in 2009. According to a report from the Guardian, no one in Utah had died from the plague for at least 35 years.
The CDC reports that from 2001 to 2012, the number of human plague cases per year has ranged from one to 17, with a median of three per year.
More articles on plague:
CDC confirms 11 plague cases since April: 5 things to know
Child camping in Yosemite contracts the plague
Another person dead from plague in Colorado
