PLACERVILLE, Calif. — A South Lake Tahoe resident has tested positive for plague and is recovering at home under medical care, El Dorado County Public Health said Tuesday. Officials believe the exposure likely occurred from an infected flea while the person was camping in the South Lake Tahoe area.
In a statement announcing the case, Kyle Fliflet, the county’s acting public health director, said,
“It’s important that individuals take precautions for themselves and their pets when outdoors.”
Plague circulates naturally among wild rodents and their fleas in parts of California, including higher elevations of El Dorado County. Surveillance in the county identified 41 rodents with evidence of exposure from 2021 to 2024, with four additional rodents testing positive in 2025—all within the Tahoe Basin. Human cases remain rare but can be serious.
Local coverage has identified the case as bubonic plague, the most common form in the United States. Bubonic plague typically presents with fever, chills, weakness and swollen, painful lymph nodes and is treatable with antibiotics when started promptly.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports an average of about seven human plague cases each year, the majority being bubonic and occurring in western states. CDC
What residents should do
County health officials recommend standard precautions in rodent-prone outdoor areas: avoid contact with squirrels, chipmunks and other rodents; do not feed wildlife; keep pets leashed and on flea prevention; avoid camping or resting near animal burrows or where dead rodents are found; and apply EPA-registered repellents (e.g., DEET) to socks and pant cuffs. Seek medical care if you develop compatible symptoms after possible exposure and tell your clinician about potential plague exposure.
Residents can report sick or dead rodents to El Dorado County Environmental Management at (530) 573-3450.
Context
The most recent human plague case previously reported in El Dorado County was in 2020, also linked to the South Lake Tahoe area. Statewide, two visitors exposed in Yosemite in 2015 recovered after treatment.
