By Grace MacRae
https://www.express.co.uk/search?s=Grace%20MacRae&b=1
Both men lived more than 100 miles away from each other, so the cases are not thought to be linked.
New Mexico Department of Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel said: "Plague activity in New Mexico is usually highest during the summer months, so it is especially important now to take precautions to avoid rodents and their fleas which can expose you to plague."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says more than 80 per cent of United States plague cases have been the bubonic form.
The disease is caused by a bacteria called Yesinia Pestis which most commonly affect rodents, but they can be bitten by fleas which can then pass it on to humans.
Cases of bubonic plague are very rare and can be treated with antibiotics quickly, but it still has a fatality rate of between 30 to 60% per cent.
In recent decades, an average of seven cases have been reported each year with a range of one to 17.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1322668/china-bubonic-plague-spread-US-man-dead-new-mexico-cases-coronavirus-latest-news