Written by Lexx Thornton
A California resident has tested positive for plague after camping in the South Lake Tahoe area. Health officials in El Dorado County believe an infected flea may have bitten the individual. The individual is currently under medical supervision and is recovering at home.
A few human plague cases are reported each year in the United States, most commonly in two regions: northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, southern Colorado, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada.
The El Dorado County health department told Newsweek, “Human cases of plague are sporadic, so the likelihood of other residents acquiring it is low, particularly if they take the precautions we listed in the press release.”
The Plague is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. While it can be cured with antibiotics, these must be given to a patient as soon as possible in order to prevent serious illness or death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are usually an average of seven human plague cases reported each year across the country, with most cases in northern New Mexico and Arizona.
In July, a person in Arizona died from plague, the first recorded death from pneumonic plague since 2007.
If a person has plague pneumonia, then the bacteria can also be spread through cough droplets in the air, which can be inhaled by another person.
When a person is infected with plague bacteria, it usually takes less than two weeks for symptoms to appear. These can include fever, nausea, weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.
The California Department of Public Health routinely monitors rodent populations for plague bacteria, and surveillance activities in El Dorado County between 2021 and 2024 found a total of 41 rodents, such as ground squirrels or chipmunks, with evidence of exposure to the plague bacterium.
An additional four rodents have tested positive for the disease in 2025, and health officials reported that all were located in the Tahoe Basin. Health officials are continuing to monitor the situation.
