Yosemite Campground Closed After First Plague Case In More Than 50 Years

A campground at Yosemite National Park remains closed after a child contracted the plague while visiting in July.

The child stayed at Crane Flat Campground and visited Rainbow Pool in the Stanislaus National Forest about 11 miles west of Yosemite National Park, according to a notice on the park’s website.

The child was hospitalized in mid-July, and nobody else with him was affected.

The notice on the park website says that the Tuolumne Meadows Campground is closed until noon Friday, while flea treatment is applied to rodent burrows in the area. Several dead animals were found to be carrying the plague after testing.

The website says it is the first case of human plague in Yosemite since 1959.

The child, from Los Angeles County, has already recovered.

Plague typically spreads from flea bites to rodents. Humans can then contact the plague by contact with an infected rodents or the fleas themselves.

Symptoms include fever, chills, nausea and “swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes,” according to the CDC. It can be treated with antibiotics, unlike the black plague of the 14th century.

While officials say the chances of contracting it are rare, they offered the following tips for anyone visiting Yosemite:

• Use insect repellents (20-30% DEET or equivalent) when outdoors. Wear close-toed shoes and tuck pants into socks when possible.
• Avoid touching live or dead rodents or disturbing rodent burrows, dens, or nests.
• Do not pitch tents or place sleeping bags in proximity to rodent feces or burrows or near possible rodent habitat (for example, dense brush or woodpiles).
• Keep food in tightly sealed containers (including those stored in bear boxes) and store away from rodents.
• Contact housekeeping or maintenance if signs of rodents are present, including feces or urine.
• Dispose of all trash and garbage promptly in accordance with campsite regulations by discarding in rodent-proof trash containers or packing it out in rodent-proof containers.
• Do not feed wildlife.

Read more about the plague on Yosemite’s website.

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