The man, who hasn’t been identified, is infected with pneumonic plague, an inhaled form of the disease, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said July 9 in a statement. It’s the first case of pneumonic plague seen in the state since 2004, said Jennifer House, a spokeswoman for the department. The man may have been exposed in Adams County near Denver, the department said.

Plague, which can be fatal if left untreated, spreads most often through flea bites and continues to spread in parts of Africa, Asia and South America. Only seven people are infected in the U.S. each year. The Colorado man has been hospitalized and treated, and is no longer infectious, House said.

“We don’t think it’s out in our air,” House said. “We think it’s in our dead animal populations and dead rodent populations.”  MOREHERE