Overview

• El Dorado County health authorities say the patient is recovering at home under medical monitoring.
• Investigators believe the exposure occurred during camping near South Lake Tahoe, likely via a flea carried by wild rodents.
• Routine surveillance detected 41 plague‑positive rodents in El Dorado County from 2021 to 2024, with four additional positives in 2025 in the Tahoe basin.
• The CDC reports an average of about seven U.S. cases annually, mostly in western states, and the last reported human case in the Tahoe region was in 2020.
• Officials advise avoiding contact with wild rodents, using insect repellent and protective clothing outdoors, and maintaining flea control for pets, with no indication of a broader outbreak.