The last thing state and local health officials want to hear is that a resident of South Lake Tahoe, California, has tested positive for the plague. The person probably contracted the infection while camping in the county. This site, once a crucial scouting and mapping hub for the Union Army, is now a favorite outdoor getaway in the Sierra Nevada. Symptoms, like in the case of other communicable diseases, such as the plague, can manifest within two weeks of exposure. Prepare to endure fever, nausea, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes.
To that end, Kyle Fliflet, the acting director of public health for El Dorado County, confirmed the case. He urged extreme caution and diminished expectations. “Plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including higher-elevation areas of El Dorado County,” Fliflet stated. He urged residents to practice preventive measures when participating in outdoor activities in areas where rodents are present.
As part of this effort, health officials in El Dorado County have been closely tracking rodent populations. During those four years, they recorded 41 rodents infected with the plague bacterium. Interestingly, 2025 was the year that four rodents were found to be positive for the plague, all of them within the Tahoe Basin. This year, rodent cases have skyrocketed. This is quite the jump after just one human case in 2020, which was similarly related to South Lake Tahoe.
In 2021, the US Forest Service closed several popular sites at Lake Tahoe after discovering the plague in the chipmunk population. This move is a welcome reminder of the persistent threat that the disease continues to pose in parts of California. Similar cases have recently appeared in other parts of the country. For example, two human cases were documented in Yosemite National Park in 2015, and a human case was confirmed in Colorado last summer.
Even as health officials work to understand this recent case, they are taking actions to lower potential risks. Vector control workers are expected to carry out “eradication treatments” in affected areas to mitigate potential exposure to the plague.
“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,” Fliflet reiterated, highlighting the importance of awareness during outdoor activities.