2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A20.3Plague meningitis

ICD-10-CM Codes›A00–B99›A20-A28›A20

ICD-10-CM A20.3
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

A20.3 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for plague meningitis. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and groups to MS-DRG 867 through 869. Coders also document this condition as plague. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Bacterial infections and Meningitis.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
A20.3
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Plague meningitis
Short Description
Plague meningitis
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
A20
Plague

Code Classification

ChapterA00–B99Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
SectionA20-A28Certain zoonotic bacterial diseases
CategoryA20Plague
This CodeA20.3Plague meningitis

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Plague
  • Plague meningitis

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Meningitis(basal) (basic) (brain) (cerebral) (cervical) (congestive) (diffuse) (hemorrhagic) (infantile) (membranous) (metastatic) (nonspecific) (pontine) (progressive) (simple) (spinal) (subacute) (sympathetic) (toxic)
      • Yersinia pestis
    • Plague
      • meningitis

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR INF003
Bacterial infections
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient No · outpatient No
CCSR NVS001
Meningitis
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Clinical InformationClinical

  • African Horse Sickness

    an insect-borne reovirus infection of horses, mules and donkeys in africa and the middle east; characterized by pulmonary edema, cardiac involvement, and edema of the head and neck.

  • Feline Panleukopenia

    a highly contagious dna virus infection of the cat family, characterized by fever, enteritis and bone marrow changes. it is also called feline ataxia, feline agranulocytosis, feline infectious enteritis, cat fever, cat plague, and show fever. it is caused by feline panleukopenia virus or the closely related mink enteritis virus or canine parvovirus.

  • Influenza A virus

    the type species of the genus alphainfluenzavirus that causes influenza and other diseases in humans and animals. antigenic variation occurs frequently between strains, allowing classification into subtypes and variants. transmission is usually by aerosol (human and most non-aquatic hosts) or waterborne (ducks). infected birds shed the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces.

  • Influenza in Birds

    infection of domestic and wild fowl and other birds with influenza a virus. avian influenza usually does not sicken birds, but can be highly pathogenic and fatal in domestic poultry.

  • Plague

    an acute infectious disease caused by yersinia pestis that affects humans, wild rodents, and their ectoparasites. this condition persists due to its firm entrenchment in sylvatic rodent-flea ecosystems throughout the world. bubonic plague is the most common form.

  • Plague Vaccine

    a suspension of killed yersinia pestis used for immunizing people in enzootic plague areas.

  • Rinderpest

    a viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals caused by morbillivirus. it may be acute, subacute, or chronic with the major lesions characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the entire digestive tract. the disease was declared successfully eradicated worldwide in 2010.

  • Alphainfluenzavirus

    a genus in the family orthomyxoviridae causing influenza and other diseases in humans and animals. it contains many strains as well as antigenic subtypes of the integral membrane proteins hemagglutinin (viral hemagglutinins) and neuraminidase. the type species is influenza a virus.

  • Yersinia pestis

    the etiologic agent of plague in man, rats, ground squirrels, and other rodents.

  • Morbillivirus

    a genus of the family paramyxoviridae (subfamily paramyxovirinae) where the virions of most members have hemagglutinin but not neuraminidase activity. all members produce both cytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusion bodies. measles virus is the type species.

  • Plague

    a gram-negative bacterial infection caused by yersinia pestis. it is usually transmitted to humans from bites of infected rodent fleas. it is manifested as a bubonic, septicemic, or pneumonic plague. in bubonic plague, the lymph nodes adjacent to the site of the skin bite are infected and enlarged. in septicemic plague, the infection spreads directly through the bloodstream. in pneumonic plague, the infection spreads to the lungs either following bubonic plague, or by inhalation of infective droplets. if untreated, it may lead to death.

Patient EducationClinical

Meningitis

Meningitis is inflammation of the thin tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges. There are several types of meningitis. The most common is viral meningitis. You get it when a virus enters the body through the nose or mouth and travels to the brain. Bacterial meningitis is rare but can be deadly.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert A20.3 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
020.8 Other types of plague
Approximate The match is approximate rather than exact.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About A20.3Overview

Is A20.3 (Plague) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report plague meningitis on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What MS-DRG does A20.3 group to?

When plague meningitis is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 867, 868, 869, with relative weights from 0.7297 to 2.0932 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of A20.3?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, plague meningitis converts to ICD-9-CM 020.8 (other types of plague). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.