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10h ago

South Lake Tahoe Resident Tests Positive for Plague After Suspected Flea Bite

Officials urge precautions after surveillance found plague activity in Tahoe Basin rodents.

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A bubonic plague warning sign is displayed at a parking lot near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019, in Commerce City, Colo. A South Lake Tahoe resident has tested positive for plague, health officials confirmed this week — the first reported human case in El Dorado County since 2020.
Stock image.
FILE: A person feeds a chipmunk in Lake Tahoe. Health officials advise against feeding wild animals in order to avoid contracting plague. 

Overview

  • El Dorado County says the patient is under medical care and recovering at home, with the person's identity withheld.
  • Health authorities believe the exposure occurred while camping in the area, and an investigation is underway.
  • This is the county’s first reported human case since 2020, with the CDC noting an average of about seven U.S. cases each year.
  • State and local monitoring identified 41 rodents with evidence of exposure from 2021–2024 and four plague-positive rodents in 2025, all in the Tahoe Basin.
  • Agencies advise avoiding contact with rodents, keeping pets leashed and on flea control, and using DEET, noting recent detections that include a fatal human case in Arizona and a plague-positive cat in Colorado.