RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

Squirrel Tests Positive For Plague At Campsite

A ground squirrel trapped during routine monitoring at the Cedar Grove Campground on Palomar Mountain tested positive for plague, the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health reported Thursday. No plague-infected rodents were discovered in the county last year, according to the DEH. Plague is a bacterial disease carried by wild rodents that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of infected fleas, according to the DEH.

The agency placed warning signs in the area so visitors could take precautions to avoid flea contact.

"It is not unusual to find plague in our local mountains in the summer months, so campers should always avoid contact with squirrels and their fleas," said DEH Director Jack Miller. "Set up tents away from squirrel burrows, do not feed the squirrels and warn your children not to play with squirrels."

The agency also advises avoiding contact with wild animals, particularly ground squirrels and chipmunks; not touching sick or dead animals; and keeping pets on a leash or leaving them at home.

Someone who becomes ill within one week of visiting an area known to have plague should contact a doctor immediately, according to the DEH.

Symptoms include a sudden onset of fever, chills and tender, swollen lymph nodes.

The agency said there have never been any known human cases of plague contracted here.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Fleas: Endemic Typhus Cases On The Rise

Endemic (flea-borne) typhus, an illness that prior to 2006 was considered rare in Orange County, continues to occur, with five confirmed or probable endemic typhus cases reported to the Orange County Health Care Agency in the past three months. However, there have been no reports to date in Laguna Niguel.

In the recent cases, four of the people are adults, and one is younger than 18. Endemic typhus is transmitted by the bite of infected fleas, in particular those from cats, opossums and rodents, although other animals may carry the fleas.

The most recently affected individuals live in the northern part of the county, but because these animals are present throughout the county, human cases may occur in any area. Typhus occurs naturally in Southern California, with eight cases reported in Orange County for 2011 to date, six each in 2010 and 2009, 15 in 2008, six during 2007 and one in 2006. Prior to 2006, the last case reported in Orange County was in 1993.

Source = Associated Press

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA