Deadly bacterial outbreak discovered at Berkeley homeless encampment
KTVU • • health
Key Points:
- Berkeley city officials issued a public health warning after animals in a homeless encampment on Harrison Street tested positive for leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can be fatal to both dogs and humans.
- The city’s Public Health Officer recommended that encampment residents relocate at least a third of a mile away due to a rat infestation spreading the disease, which poses ongoing health risks despite no confirmed human cases so far.
- Dog owners are urged to vaccinate their pets, and owners of free-roaming cats are advised to consider vaccination as well, while residents are cautioned to avoid contact with standing water near Codornices Creek to prevent potential spread.
- The disease was first identified in sick dogs in November, and rat testing
