If you had the Black Death or bubonic plague on your 2020 bingo card, you can sign up that space now.
The individual, "an enthusiastic walker," may have been bitten by an infected flea while walking their dog along the Truckee River in the Tahoe Keys region, based on El Dorado health officials.
Plague is transmitted by fleas, which get the bacteria from squirrels, chipmunks and other wild rodents.
The disease has caused epidemics throughout history, murdering millions. One-third of Europe's population died in the 14th century from the plague, or "Black Death."
The plague arrived in the United States in 1900 from rat-infested ships. The last significant epidemic in the nation occurred in Los Angeles from 1924-1925.
An average of human plague cases are reported from the nation every year, most in the Southwest.
Plague is currently treated with antibiotics, but it may be fatal without treatment.
"Plague is obviously present in many parts of California, such as high altitude areas of El Dorado County," said Dr. Nancy Williams, county public health Officer. "It is important that individuals take precautions for their pets when outside, especially while walking, hiking and/or camping in areas where wild rodents are present. Human cases of anxiety are extremely uncommon but can be quite severe."
Symptoms such as fever, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes, which frequently appear in just two weeks of exposure to an infected flea or animal.
The last cases of plague in California were in 2015, together with two people infected in Yosemite National Park. Those were the first cases since 2006.
Health officials routinely check animals for plague. By 2016 into 2019, El Dorado County identified 20 creatures using the plague -- all in the South Lake Tahoe region.
Officials advised not feeding squirrels or chipmunks, wearing long trousers to decrease vulnerability to fleas and shield pets with flea medication, including cats, which are prone to plague and may pass it to their owners.