Man with leptospirosis died after breeding rats in RV, city says
The Berkeley Scanner • • health
Key Points:
- A man in his 70s died from leptospirosis in Berkeley after living in a severely rat-infested RV near the Harrison Street encampment, while a woman who lived with him also contracted the disease but has since recovered following a lengthy hospitalization.
- The couple had been trapping, feeding, and breeding wild rats inside the RV, which was home to nearly 200 rats before it was sealed, cleared of rodents, and destroyed by city workers.
- Both individuals delayed seeking medical care for weeks or months, contributing to the severity of their illness, according to city officials.
- These are the first human cases of leptospirosis in Berkeley in over a decade, with the city noting that the risk to the general public remains extremely low despite the presence of the disease in some local animals.
- In response, Berkeley is shifting from a buffer zone strategy to enhanced sanitation, vector control, and targeted outreach to residents living near rat populations, while also providing updated guidance to medical providers and distributing informational flyers to vulnerable populations.