A 43-year-old man has tested positive for the plague, leading a top health chief to warn the public over the “severe threat” that the ancient disease brings.
The New Mexico patient from Valencia County was hospitalised and has since been discharged.
Reported by the New Mexico Department of Health, the unidentified was the first case of the ancient disease in the US state in 2025.
“This case reminds us of the severe threat that can be posed by this ancient disease,” said state public health veterinarian for NMDOH Erin Phipps.
The disease is transmitted via infected flea bites
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“It also emphasises the need for heightened community awareness and for taking measures to prevent further spread.”
The department believed he could have been exposed to the bacterial disease while camping in Rio Arriba County, bordering Colorado.
The last recorded case of the plague in the Land of Enchantment was just last year when a man died from the vicious infection.
The plague is a bacterial disease that is commonly passed onto humans via the bites of infected fleas. It can also be caught from direct contact with infected wildlife and pets.
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There are three different types of plague; bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague all have varying severities.
Common symptoms include fever, headache and chills, with the bubonic plague causing swollen and painful lymph nodes.
Meanwhile, septicemic plague poses more startling symptoms, with patients developing shock and bleeding into the skin and organs, with tissue turning black and dying.
Pneumonic plague, on the other hand, causes a rapid development of pneumonia, accompanied by a cough, chest pain and shortness of breath.
Common symptoms include fever, headache and chills
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Cats and dogs develop fever, lethargy and experience a loss of appetite, with possible swelling in the lymph nodes under their jaw.
The New Mexico health department outlined several recommendations to reduce chances of developing the disease, such as using insect repellent, and avoiding sick or dead rodents and rabbits.
Additionally, they advise storing woodpiles, brush piles, junk and abandoned cars far from the house.
They urged anyone with an “unexplained illness” to consult their doctor to rule out the possibly fatal disease.