What to know about plague after South Lake Tahoe resident tests positive for disease

SAN FRANCSICO (KGO) -- A California resident has tested positive for plague. Health officials believe the person was bitten by an infected flea while camping in the South Lake Tahoe area.

The case is raising eyebrows and making many people wonder.

"I think it's crazy. I didn't even know the plague was still something that was going on," said one Lake Tahoe visitor. "How is the person doing?"

Health officials say the resident is now home, recovering, and is expected to be OK.

Dr Peter Chin-Hong is an infectious disease expert at UCSF.

RELATED: South Lake Tahoe resident tests positive for plague, likely from flea bite: health officials

"It's transmitted by bacteria through flea bites. So, fleas that live on rodents, including squirrels and chipmunks," said Chin-Hong.

Doctors say the plague is rare.

"Bubonic plague is still around. It's not very common -- only about seven cases per year in the United States, mainly in the west-- so California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico," said Chin-Hong. "It's not as common as in the Middle Ages when 25 million people died. But with improved sanitation and not a lot of rats and rats running around, and less chance for the bacteria to thrive and flourish, it's kind of all but disappeared except in a few pockets around the world."

Doctors say it's important to be aware that getting the plague is possible.

"Many of us love to go camping. We have dogs. We love to go out and hike. I think we should know that rodents in the area rarely but still do carry or are infected with the plague. And fleas from these rodents can come and bite us and transmit this disease. I think that's what we have to be aware about, and we should not forget it, but we should not panic," said Dr. Melanie Ott, director of the Gladstone Institute and Professor at UCSF. "We have wonderful medicines applied antibiotics that work against bacteria and they work against the plague. They work very well if they're applied early."

Symptoms usually show up one or two weeks after being bitten by an infected animal or flea.

"You can get fever, headache, muscle aches, kind of like the flu. But the big difference is with this kind of plague is the swollen lymph nodes," Chin-Hong said.

Doctors say the disease may sound alarming, but it's treatable and preventable.

"More than 90% survive. You can help prevent it by wearing insect repellent, staying away from dead rodents and having your pet stay away from dead rodents," Chin-Hong said.

Before this case, the last case of plague in the area was five years ago around South Lake Tahoe. Before that, two people tested positive for the plague in 2015. They reportedly were infected in Yosemite National Park.