California Resident Tests Positive for Plague After Tahoe Camping Trip

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - County health officials confirmed that a local resident has the bubonic plague. This follows a camping trip in the South Lake Tahoe area. The news was announced on Thursday, August 21, 2025.

Kyle Fliflet, the acting director of the El Dorado County Department of Public Health, said that a person thinks they were exposed to Yersinia pestis. They believe this happened through a flea bite while camping at higher elevations near Lake Tahoe. The patient, whose identity is kept private, is healing at home. They are under medical care and doing well on antibiotics. Plague, though historically infamous, is now treatable if diagnosed early.

““Plague is naturally present in parts of California,” Fliflet said. ““We ask anyone outdoors, especially in places with wild rodents, to take basic precautions. Use insect repellent, steer clear of sick or dead animals, and keep pets on flea prevention.”

The California Department of Public Health watches wildlife closely. From 2021 to 2024, 41 rodents, like squirrels and chipmunks, tested positive for plague bacteria in the Tahoe region. So far in 2025, four more rodents have been confirmed as carriers in El Dorado County. Human plague cases in the U.S. are rare. They average about seven each year, mostly in western states.

Symptoms of bubonic plague usually show up two to eight days after exposure. They include: - Sudden fever - Chills - Headache - Muscle aches - Swollen lymph nodes, called “buboes.” If antibiotics aren’t given quickly, the infection can become severe. It may lead to septicemic or pneumonic forms.

Public health officials are watching local wildlife. They ask residents and visitors to report any strange rodent deaths. If you have plague-like symptoms, seek medical help right away.