Plague cases still occur in the US: Here’s where

(NEXSTAR) — While U.S. officials have said they are monitoring reports of a possible plague outbreak in Russia, they have cautioned that it isn’t a “cause for alarm.” Still, worries have grown over the nearly always fatal condition.

Person-to-person spread of the plague hasn’t been seen in more than 100 years in the U.S. However, Arizona reported a pneumonic plague-related death last year, and a New Mexico woman died from plague this year.

Between 2000 and 2023, between zero and 17 cases of human plague were reported in the U.S. each year, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fifteen of the 122 cases confirmed during that time period were fatal, the data shows.

When cases do occur in the U.S., they’re primarily in the West, with most reported in New Mexico and Arizona. Cases have also appeared near southern Oregon, far western Nevada, and California.

Last year, Oregon saw its first case of the bubonic plague since 2015. Plague cases were also reported in California and New Mexico in 2025.

An Arizona resident fully recovered after being diagnosed with plague earlier this year. There have only been two cases of plague in the U.S. this........

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