California health officials said a resident of South Lake Tahoe has tested positive for plague, marking El Dorado County’s first human infection since 2020. The individual is receiving medical care and is recovering at home, according to a county statement released Wednesday. Investigators believe the patient contracted the disease after being bitten by a flea infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis while camping in the Lake Tahoe area. Plague circulates among squirrels, chipmunks and other rodents; state monitoring found evidence of exposure in 41 animals between 2021 and 2024 and confirmed four additional positive rodents this year in the Tahoe Basin. Human plague cases in the United States are rare—averaging about seven a year, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show—but the illness can be fatal if not treated promptly. Early antibiotic therapy is generally effective, and officials said the risk of person-to-person transmission remains low. County health authorities urged residents and visitors to avoid feeding or touching wild rodents, keep pets on flea control, steer clear of animal burrows when camping, wear long pants tucked into boots, and use insect repellent containing DEET to reduce exposure to fleas.