California reports first bubonic plague case in 5 years
Hardly exciting news in 2020! Someone has been diagnosed with the plague in South Lake Tahoe, CA. Last seen in nearby Yosemite National Park, bubonic plague is spread by fleas that ride on rats and mice.
Health officials have confirmed a case of plague at South Lake Tahoe - the first in California in five years.
El Dorado County officials said Monday that the California Department of Public Health had notified them of the positive test of a resident who is under medical care while recovering at home.Plague bacteria are most often transmitted by fleas that have acquired it from infected squirrels, chipmunks and other wild rodents. Dogs and cats may also carry plague-infected fleas.
Health officials believe the South Lake Tahoe resident may have been bitten by an infected flea while walking a dog along the Truckee River corridor or in the Tahoe Keys area on Tahoe's south shore.