The U.S. Sun:
A DOG walker has been struck down with the plague in California after apparently being bitten by a flea.
The infected person is now being monitored around-the-clock by medics at their home in South Lake Tahoe, say concerned local health officials.
t is the first human case of the bubonic plague – also known as the Black Death – in the state in five years.
Plague bacteria are commonly transmitted by fleas which have caught the killer disease from infected squirrels, chipmunks and other wild rodents.
However, domestic dogs and cats may also carry plague-infected fleas.
Health officials believe the new victim may have been bitten while walking their dog along the Truckee River corridor or in the Tahoe Keys area.
Symptoms of the plague often appear within two weeks of exposure and can include fever, nausea and chronic weakness.
Treatment with antibiotics is usually effective if the infection is spotted early enough.
El Dorado County Health officials say they are currently investigating what exactly happened, reports CNN.
