South Lake Tahoe resident treated for plague

PLACERVILLE — A South Lake Tahoe resident has tested positive for plague, according to health officials in El Dorado County.

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The bacterial disease is extremely rare in humans and can be very serious. It also can be treated with antibiotics if caught early, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a statement, health officials said they were notified by the California Department of Public Health about the positive test. They said the person is under the care of a medical professional and is recovering at home and may have been infected when bitten by a flea while camping near South Lake Tahoe.

The case is the first one reported in El Dorado County since 2020. Before that, a case had not been reported since 2015, when two people caught the disease from fleas on rodents near Yosemite National Park. Those cases were the first in the state since 2006.

All of the infected people recovered, health officials said.

Bites from fleas carrying the Yersinia pestis bacterium are the most common way the disease is transmitted, according to the CDC.

The investigation to how the person got the disease is ongoing.

“Plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including the higher elevations of El Dorado County,” El Dorado County’s Acting Director of Public Health Kyle Fliflet said in a statement. “It’s important that individuals take precautions for themselves and their pets when outdoors, especially while walking, hiking or camping in areas where rodents are present.”

Squirrels, chipmunks and other wild rodents often carry the bacteria and pass it along when bitten by fleas, health officials said. The fleas with plague also can live on dogs and cats.

Health officials said symptoms include fever, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes. They usually set in within about two weeks of exposure.

A person in northern Arizona died last month from the plague.

Health officials warned people not to feed any wild rodent and to never touch with when they’re sick, injured or dead. Pets also should not be allowed to pick up dead rodents. Campers were advised not to sleep anywhere near where a dead rodent has been seen, and to wear long pants and insect repellent containing DEET on socks and pant cuffs to deter fleas.