A family has a picnic in view of Upper Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park, California. (Photo : Reuters)
Tuolumne Meadows Campground, a favorite camping site within the Yosemite National Park in California, was temporarily shut down after reports of squirrels found dead and others infested of plague. One child visiting the park was also infected after setting up camp in another site within the area.
According to a news release by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in Sacramento, a child who camped at Yosemite's Crane Flat Campground after visiting the Stanislaus National Forest last July had contracted the plague. The child was sent to a hospital for treatment and is now recuperating.
No other companions have shown symptoms, but health officials are still monitoring people who might have been exposed.
Yosemite National Park officials decided to close down the said campground starting on Aug. 17 to 21. The authorities will administer flea-killing insecticide in the vicinity, particularly into the burrow holes, according to CBS News.
The plague was identified as a bacterial infection carried by rodents such as squirrels, and transmitted by fleas to other animals or, in rare cases, to humans.
Although the human health risk is not alarming, and with the last report of human cases back in 2005 and 2006 successfully treated with antibiotics, health officials still warned the public.
"Although this is a rare disease, people should protect themselves from infection by avoiding any contact with wild rodents," said Dr. Karen Smith, director and state health officer of the CPDH.
"Never feed squirrels, chipmunks, or other rodents in picnic or campground areas, and never touch sick or dead rodents. Protect your pets from fleas and keep them away from wild animals," she added.
