California resident tests positive for PLAGUE after being ‘bitten by an infected meat while her dog was walking’ in the state’s first case in five years
- Health officials believe the person was bitten by an infected flower while walking her dog in South Lake Tahoe, California
- The patient is treated by a medical professional and is recovered at home
- There has been no plague in California since 2015, when two people became ill after being exposed to infected rodents or bats in Yosemite National Park
- According to the CDC, the US has about seven cases of plague each year
A California resident has tested positive for the plague, making it the first case in the state in five years.
Health officials believe the person was walking his or her dog in South Lake Tahoe when he or she was bitten by an infected flower, according to a press release from the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency.
The patient, whose name, age and gender is not disclosed, is currently being cared for by a medical professional and has been recovered at home, the release said.
It comes less than two weeks after a man in New Mexico in his 20s died of the second reported case of plague this year.
Health officials believe the person was bitten by an infected flower while walking her dog in South Lake Tahoe (pictured), California, and is currently recovering at home
Plague is caused by a bacterium, Yersinia pestis, and is normally transmitted to humans from the bite of infected meat.
Symptoms, such as fever, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes, typically appear within three to seven days.
The disease is fatal but can be treated with antibiotics if it is detected early enough.
The World Health Organization says so the mortality rate is estimated to be between 30 percent and 100 percent if left untreated.
Cases of human plague are fairly rare with an average of seven per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, infections are more common in some areas of the US than others.
“Plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including areas with higher elevation of El Dorado County,” said Dr. Nancy Williams, El Dorado County Public Health Officer, in the press release.
‘It is important that individuals take precautionary measures for themselves and their pets when they are outdoors, especially when walking, walking and / or camping in areas where wild rodents are present.’
There has been no plague (image) in California since 2015 when two people became ill after being exposed to infected rodents or bats in Yosemite National Park
Between 2016 and 2019, health officials found 20 rodents with evidence of exposure to the bacterium that causes the disease, the release said.
However, there were no reports of plague-associated diseases during this period.
Several areas around South Lake Tahoe now have signs advising the public of the presence of plague and ways to prevent exposure.
The last reported case of plague in California was in 2015 after two people were exposed to infected rodents or bats in Yosemite National Park. Both leaned back.
Prior to that incident, there had been no case in the Golden State since 2006.
The disease caused a global epidemic that affected Europe in the mid-1300s and led to the so-called Black Death, which killed more than 20 million people, about one-third of the continent’s population.
In addition to the deaths in New Mexico, Chinese officials have closed a town and village in Inner Mongolia following reports of deaths from bubonic plague in the country this year.
.
