The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) relayed to El Dorado County officials that a local resident tested positive for the plague, but has since returned to their residence in South Lake Tahoe and is “under the care of a medical professional,” according to a Monday news release issued by the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency.
"Plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including higher elevation areas of El Dorado County,” El Dorado County Public Health Officer Dr. Nancy Williams expressed in the release.
“It's important that individuals take precautions for themselves and their pets when outdoors, especially while walking, hiking and/or camping in areas where wild rodents are present. Human cases of plague are extremely rare but can be very serious."
The plague, which is triggered by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is commonly transmitted to humans via bites from fleas that previously contracted the bacterial infection from a rodent.
Dogs and cats have also been known to be carriers of the infected fleas. It’s suspected that the unnamed infected individual contracted the plague during a walk with their dog in South Lake Tahoe.
“Symptoms of plague usually show up within two weeks of exposure to an infected animal or flea and include fever, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes,” the release detailed.
Though US President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus as the “plague,” the actual plague was tied to a number of widespread pandemics throughout history, including Europe’s notorious Black Death - which led to more than 50 million deaths in the 14th century.
Luckily, modern scientists can simply treat the notorious bacterial infection with antibiotics in most cases. Without a vaccine, health officials worldwide have encouraged the adoption of preventative measures that significantly reduce possible human encounters, or cohabitation, with diseased and/or dead animal carriers of the plague.
According to the World Health Organization, the plague has a case-death ratio of 30% - 100% if one experiences its pneumonic (lung infection) or septicaemic (critical bloodstream infection) forms and does not seek medical treatment.
While the CDPH “routinely monitors rodent populations for plague activity” in the state, the Monday release highlighted that El Dorado County health officials will also follow “the situation and any plague-prone areas” on a local level.
At the same time, this new case came five years after the last reports of plague-associated illnesses in California. At least two human cases of the bacterial infection were relayed to the CDPH back in 2015, with both infectees citing exposure at Yosemite National Park to infected rodents or the animals’ fleas.
The two individuals “were treated and recovered” from the bacterial infection, which at the time had not been reported in a human in the state since 2006.
Those with questions or relevant concerns of a diseased, or even dead, animal are being encouraged to contact El Dorado County Environmental Management and visit the CDPH’s website for additional information.