Fleas living on chipmunks at Lake Tahoe are carrying the plague
- 8 years ago
LAKE TAHOE, CALIFORNIA — Visitors to California’s Lake Tahoe have been warned to stay away from rodents after plague was detected in the area.
Health officials said a flea taken from a chipmunk in the South Lake Tahoe area on May 18 tested positive for plague on June 2, USA Today reported. The disease is perhaps best known as the deadly bacterial infection which killed millions of Europeans in the 14th century during the Black Death.
Plague is naturally present in California. It is spread by rodents including squirrels and chipmunks, and their fleas, according to CBS News.
Humans can contract the disease through close contact with an infected rodent, or a flea bite. The disease can be fatal if not caught early and treated with antibiotics.
Symptoms usually occur within two weeks of initial contact, and include fever, nausea, weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.
Plague is most commonly found in rural areas of the western United States. An average of seven human cases are reported each year, CBS News reported, citing the Centers for Disease Control.
Warning signs have gone up near the Fallen Leaf Campground in South Lake Tahoe, where the plague-carrying flea was taken from, according to CBS News,
Health officials advised visitors to cover up, wear insect repellent, and keep pets at home, CBS News reported.
Two people were infected with plague in California last year after exposure to rodents in Yosemite Valley, according to CBS News.
Health officials said a flea taken from a chipmunk in the South Lake Tahoe area on May 18 tested positive for plague on June 2, USA Today reported. The disease is perhaps best known as the deadly bacterial infection which killed millions of Europeans in the 14th century during the Black Death.
Plague is naturally present in California. It is spread by rodents including squirrels and chipmunks, and their fleas, according to CBS News.
Humans can contract the disease through close contact with an infected rodent, or a flea bite. The disease can be fatal if not caught early and treated with antibiotics.
Symptoms usually occur within two weeks of initial contact, and include fever, nausea, weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.
Plague is most commonly found in rural areas of the western United States. An average of seven human cases are reported each year, CBS News reported, citing the Centers for Disease Control.
Warning signs have gone up near the Fallen Leaf Campground in South Lake Tahoe, where the plague-carrying flea was taken from, according to CBS News,
Health officials advised visitors to cover up, wear insect repellent, and keep pets at home, CBS News reported.
Two people were infected with plague in California last year after exposure to rodents in Yosemite Valley, according to CBS News.