Californian Dies from Rare Disease After 'Trapping, Feeding and Breeding Wild Rats' in an RV
Yahoo • • health
Key Points:
- A California resident living in an RV severely infested with wild rats died from leptospirosis, a rare bacterial disease spread through infected animals' urine, with their living partner also contracting the disease but recovering with treatment.
- The RV occupants had been trapping, feeding, and breeding wild rats inside the vehicle, which contributed to the high risk of infection, and neither sought medical care for weeks or months.
- Alameda County Vector Control responded by trapping and removing rats from the RV, eventually sealing and destroying the vehicle due to a persistently high prevalence of leptospirosis in the local rat population.
- Berkeley city manager Paul Buddenhagen emphasized that the risk to the general public is extremely low, as person-to-person transmission is very rare and no other cases have been reported at the nearby Harrison Street encampment.
- Measures are being proposed to increase awareness and research around rat populations in Berkeley to prevent future infections, especially among vulnerable populations such as those experiencing homelessness.