People should also report any sick or dead animals to forest, campground or local health officials, according to the county.

Public health officials urge people to wear long pants tucked into boot tops to reduce exposure to fleas, apply insect repellent containing DEET on socks and trouser cuffs and avoid walking, hiking or camping near rodent burrows.

Also, leave your pets at home when visiting areas with elevated plague risk.” “Do not feed rodents in picnic or campground areas and never handle sick or dead rodents. “Individuals can greatly reduce their risk of becoming infected with plague by taking simple precautions, including avoiding contact with wild rodents and their fleas,” Hartmann said. Residents and visitors to picnic spots and campgrounds should take precautions to protect themselves against the disease following the discovery, said Bob Hartmann, El Dorado County’s interim public health officer, in the statement Click here to learn more about the health hazards posed by these pests.People are typically exposed to plague through an infected flea bite, handling an infected rodent or exposure to an infected pet – especially cats, according to the statement. In addition to plague, there are a handful of other infectious diseases that rodents can spread to humans. Pet owners should practice active flea management by keeping pets on a leash when outside, bathing and grooming them regularly and using flea treatments according to direction. It’s also important to wear gloves if handling potentially infected animals. Homeowners should repair all cracks and crevices on the outside of the home using a silicone-based caulk or steel wool, store food in sealed containers, and maintain a clutter-free environment to deter rodent habitats. Preventing contact with rodents is the key to mitigating the risks of plague. The good news is that the plague is successfully treated with antibiotics when caught very early on. Symptoms of the plague include a sudden fever, headache, chills, abdominal pain, swollen lymph nodes, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms of Bubonic PlagueĪnyone infected with the plague will usually notice symptoms in two to six days after exposure. Presently, human plague infections continue to occur in various areas in the western United States, most commonly in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. The last urban outbreak of rat-associated plague in the United States occurred in Los Angeles in 1924-1925, according to the CDC. Humans usually get plague after being bitten by an infected rodent flea or by handling an animal infected with plague, such as a rat, chipmunk, squirrel or prairie dog. Plague is caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis, which is naturally occurring in the environment. In fact, there were reports of fleas carrying the plague in Arizona in August 2017. Many people don’t realize it, but the plague is actually alive and well and living in the United States. Yes, you read that right – the same “Black Plague” that is infamous for killing millions of people in Europe during the Middle Age. On the eve of Halloween in 2015, CNN featured a report about a teenage girl in Oregon who was recovering in the ICU from a case of Bubonic plague.

Chipmunk plague