Confirmed plague box near Lake Tahoe after a probable chip bite

A California resident was tested positive for the plague after campsite near Lake Tahoe, local health officials have confirmed. It is the last in a series of positive cases in the western United States this year.

The infected person was probably bitten by a chip infected by the plague in the South Lake Tahoe region, according to local health officials. This is the first local case in the region since 2020. The person is currently recovering and undergoing medical treatment at home.

“The plague is naturally present in many regions of California, including higher elevation areas of the County of El Dorado,” said Kyle Fliflet, acting director of public health in the county of El Dorado, in northern California, in a press release.

“It is important that individuals take precautions for themselves and their pets outside, in particular by walking, hiking and camping in areas where wild rodents are present,” he said.

The plague is rare in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), affecting seven people in the United States per year, mainly in Western states.

The disease is endemic in many California counties and in other parts of the western United States, where it circulates in wild rodents and other animals. Earlier this month, a Colorado cat was tested positive for the plague. Last month, an Arizona man died after contracting the disease. This person has developed a pneumonic shape of the plague, in which the bacteria spreads to the lungs, due to an untreated bubonic infection.

The disease is caused by the bacteria Yersinia Pestis And is most often propagated to humans by infected flea bodies. It can be treated with antibiotics but may be fatal if it is not treated quickly. Sadly famous, the plague has decimated from the European population of the 14th century.

In the United States, more than 80% of plague cases are in bubonic form, from which patients will develop swollen and painful lymph nodes called bubbles, according to the CDC.

Like many other diseases caused by microbes, the plague is more likely due to climate change, and cases have increased regularly since the 1950s. But it is still rare. The risk for the public of exposure as well as the risk of human transmission to human remains low, according to health officials.