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title: Bubonic Plague Appears in Michigan for the First Time
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# Michigan Sees First-Ever Case of Bubonic Plague

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by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Sep 14, 2015 9:53 PM UTC

by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Sep 14, 2015 9:53 PM UTC

State officials say Michigan has its first-ever bubonic plague patient, though the person reportedly caught the disease in Colorado.

The patient, whose identity has not been revealed, apparently contracted the disease from a flea bite in Colorado, which has seen [several cases](http://time.com/3987291/plague-claims-one-life-in-colorado/) of the plague this year. The disease never developed into the more-contagious pneumonic plague, which can be transmitted between humans, and the victim is said to be recovering, according to the Detroit _Free Press_.

The CDC says only seven people contract the plague in the U.S. each year on average, though this year has seen a spike: 14 cases have already cropped up, killing four.

\[[_Detroit Free Press_](http://www.freep.com/story/news/health/2015/09/14/bubonic-plague-case--michigan/72273070/)\]

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