NBC News
El Dorado County authorities reported in a statement that have notified the California Department of Health a Bubonic plague case in a Lake Tahoe resident, who is receiving medical care and is recovering at home. His identity has not been revealed.
The specialists who are investigating the case believe that the sick person was chopped by an infected flea while camping in the South Lake Tahoe area, according to the statement.
The bubonic plague is caused by bacteria that are transmitted more frequently through flea bites that were already carriers of the bacteria after having contracted it of squirrels and other rodents, according to the health authorities. Dogs and cats can also bring infected fleas to homes.
The symptoms of the plague usually include fever, nausea, weakness and inflammation of the lymph nodes, and appear in the two weeks following the exposure. It can be treated effectively with antibiotics if diagnosed in time.
(First death in the United States in almost two decades for bubonic plague)
California health authorities control the rodents of the area to determine if they are carriers of the plague, the statement contributed. Between 2021 and 2024, it was discovered that 41 rodents had been exposed to the peste bacteria. In 2025, four others gave positive, all identified in the Tahoe basin.
In El Dorado County, the authorities indicated how rarely the cases of bubonic plague in humans are, being the last registered in the South Lake Tahoe area in 2020. Before that, two people tested positive for the test of the plague in 2015 after having been exposed to the virus in the Yosemite National Park.
“The bubonic plague is present naturally in many parts of California, including the areas of greatest altitude of El Dorado County,” said Kyle Fliflet, interim director of public health in the area. “It is important that people take precautions for themselves and their pets when they are outdoors, especially while walking, hiking or camping in areas where there are wild rodents,” he added.
To prevent the spread of the bubonic plague, the authorities warned that people and pets should not touch squirrels or other wild rodents, especially those who are dead or injured. People should not camp near places where dead rodents have been observed and should wear long pants inside the boots and sprinkle insect repellent to reduce exposure to fleas.
