Arizona resident dies from the plague

Which plague and clinical forms

• Commenters clarify that “the plague” here is caused by Yersinia pestis, with three main forms: bubonic (lymph nodes), septicemic (bloodstream), and pneumonic (lungs).
• US cases are usually bubonic via flea bites on rodents, but local reporting (azcentral, CNN) indicates this Arizona death was pneumonic.
• Pneumonic plague is noted as historically far deadlier in crowded settings than bubonic.

Transmission and wildlife ecology

• Main vector discussed is fleas on rodents: prairie dogs, squirrels, rats, Himalayan marmots.
• Plague is described as a recurring, low-level problem in the US Four Corners states; cases often tied to handling or working around prairie dogs rather than casual hikers.
• Some states reportedly track which prairie dog colonies are infected; one commenter links the idea of reintroducing black-footed ferrets as predators that reduce prairie dog density and thus plague prevalence.
• Similar predator-ecology comments appear about Lyme disease and mouse-eating predators.

Treatment, vaccines, and modern medicine

• Plague is repeatedly called “very easy to treat” with common antibiotics if caught early; one figure cited is ~90% survival with treatment.
• There is an old vaccine, but it’s not recommended for the general population.
• Contrast is drawn with medieval medicine (miasma theory, bloodletting, herbal plague masks) and the modern toolkit: antibiotics, germ theory, sanitation, and targeted public health.

Symptom recognition, speed, and access to care

• Early symptoms (fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, nausea, weakness) resemble many mild illnesses; several people say they’d initially “wait it out” at home.
• That delay, combined with rural residence and weaker healthcare access, is suggested as a reason deaths cluster in rural areas.
• Some note that clinicians also may not immediately suspect plague without location/outbreak context.

Headline accuracy and disease timeline

• Multiple commenters challenge the implied “within 24 hours of symptoms” framing.
• Available reporting only clearly states the patient died the same day they reached hospital; onset of initial symptoms is not documented.
• Another commenter claims an untreated course of ~36 hours is typical, so 24 hours from clear/severe symptoms to death is medically plausible.

Vaccination, measles, and public-health attitudes

• The thread broadens into concern about rising measles cases, uneven childhood vaccination, and a perceived rise in anti-vaccine beliefs.
• One side links plague, measles resurgence, and cuts to healthcare as part of a broader pattern of public-health neglect and misinformation.
• Others push back, arguing overall vaccination rates remain high, measles numbers are still historically low in context, and that attributing patterns directly to specific domestic policies is “spurious” without more evidence.
• There is disagreement over how widespread anti-vaccine attitudes are in different countries (US, Canada, Mexico, Europe).

COVID, masks, and risk perception

• Several comments compare COVID-19 to plague: COVID is framed by some as relatively mild in lethality versus historical plagues, while others emphasize significant excess deaths and personal losses.
• Infection fatality rate estimates are debated, including the role of hospital care in lowering mortality.
• Mask use is another point of contention: some describe a “debacle” in public communication, especially conflating loose surgical masks with well-fitted respirators; others stress that even partial (e.g., ~30%) reductions in transmission have value.

Historical and psychological context

• Long, vivid descriptions of Black Death impact highlight how unimaginable such rapid, mass mortality feels compared to modern crises.
• Analogies are drawn to the early AIDS epidemic in urban gay communities, where fear, stigma, and continuous loss were pervasive.
• Some argue “today is the best time in human history to live” due to health and food security; others counter that modern stress and loneliness present different, though lesser, burdens.
• There is a side debate over the trope “good times breed weak people”: some see current complacency about vaccines and institutions as proof, others argue history shows suffering often breeds more conflict, not wisdom.
• A few links and anecdotes mention potential evolutionary impacts of past plague waves on modern immune responses, especially in Mediterranean populations, but these are presented as tentative and partly “unclear” in the thread.