FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A resident of northern Arizona has died of pneumonic plague, health officials said Friday. Plague is rare to humans, with on average of about seven cases reported annually in the U.S., most of them in the western states, according to federal health officials.

A deadly case of pneumonic plague has claimed a life in Northern Arizona, with the victim dying at Flagstaff Medical Center on July 11- the region's first such death since 2007 . This shocking incident underlines the lethal potential of a disease that, while rare, progresses rapidly and can be fatal within two days without treatment ( ref1 ).