Plague
Plague is an infectious disease of animals and humans caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis. People usually get plague from the bite of a rodent flea that is carrying plague bacteria or by handling an infected animal.
Although plague is a rare disease, about half of US cases each year occur in New Mexico. Antibiotics are effective against plague, but if an infected person is not treated promptly the disease can be life-threatening.
Prevention Pamphlet
This Plague Prevention Pamphlet provides information about plague. It explains the three main forms of plague, how it is spread, that it is curable if treated in time, and how to prevent it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This document answers common questions including what plague is, what symptoms are, how it spreads, how long people are contagious, what treatments are available, and more.
- English: Plague Frequently Asked Questions
- Spanish: Preguntas más Frecuentes Sobre la Peste
Fact Sheet
This Plague Fact Sheet explains what the plague is, how people get it, common forms of plague, how to protect yourself, and more.
- English: Plague Factsheet (English)
- Spanish: Peste Factsheet (Spanish)
Physicians & Healthcare Workers
This CD Manual - Plague document provides information about plague for New Mexico physicians and healthcare workers including agent, mode of transmission, period of communicability, incubation period, common symptoms, forms of plague, laboratory diagnosis, treatment, surveillance, and reporting.
Activity in New Mexico
Human
There has been one Human Plague Case in New Mexico in 2024.
There were no human plague cases in New Mexico in 2023.
See the following news releases for more information:
- 03/08/2024: Department of Health reports death of man from plague
- 08/20/2021: Department of Health Reports a Human Plague Case
Animal
There have been no animal plague cases in New Mexico in 2024.
There were no animal plague cases in New Mexico in 2023.
See the following news releases for more information:
- 02/11/2021: Cat Diagnosed with Plague in Los Alamos County
- 04/12/2019: Department of Health Reports Plague Case in Quay County
New Mexico Case Data
Case data from previous years are archived below for historical reference.
Human
- Human Plague Cases in New Mexico in 1949-2023 by Month, Year & Decade
- Human Plague Cases in New Mexico in 1949-2023 by County
Animal
Selected Literature
- Eisen RJ, Reynolds PJ, Ettestad P, et al. Residence-Linked Human Plague in New Mexico: a habitat-suitability model. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2007;77:121-125.
- Eisen RJ, Enscore RE, Biggerstaff BJ, et al. Human Plague in the Southwestern United States in 1957-2004: spatial models of elevated risk of human exposure to Yersinia pestis. J Med Entomol. 2007;44:530-537.
- Gage KL, Dennis DT, Orloski KA, et al. Cases of Cat-Associated Human Plague in the Western US in 1977-1998. Clin Infect Dis. 2000;30:893-900.
- Enscore RE, Biggerstaff BJ, Brown TL, et al. Modeling Relationships Between Climate and Frequency of Human Plague Cases in the SW US in 1960-1997. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2002;66:186-196.