An Arizona resident has died from the plague as officials were probing whether a prairie dog die-off in the area was also tied to the lethal illness.

A person has recently died of plague at Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC), according to Northern Arizona Healthcare.

The patient had arrived at Flagstaff Medical Center and died in the emergency room. It is the first known plague-related death in Coconino County since 2007.

It has since been confirmed that the patient’s death was caused by pneumonic plague, which is a severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium.

Coconino County has confirmed its first human death from the plague in nearly two decades. Health officials say a Coconino County resident has died from pneumonic plague — a rare but serious lung infection.

At a time when US is reporting a surge in measles cases despite the disease being eliminated two decades back, the country is now grappling with plague in North Arizona. A person has died in North Arizona of plague and deaths of some prairie dogs also sparked concern among health officials.