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.

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.

As summer warms Istanbul's waters, the megacity's authorities are having to battle a noxious algal bloom dubbed "sea snot".

One person in Flagstaff died from the plague, but the Arizona Public Health Association says there's no need to worry. Doctors say it's very treatable and there are things you can do to protect yourself.

A recent pneumonic plague death in Northern Arizona, the first since 2007, has raised concerns about this rare but deadly disease. Caused by Yersinia pestis, it affects the lungs and spreads through respiratory droplets or from untreated bubonic/septicemic plague.