LOS ANGELES — A ground squirrel in the Stoneyvale Picnic Area of the Angeles National Forest tested positive for plague, Los Angeles County health and U.S. Forestry Service officials said Thursday.
The squirrel was one of a dozen captured in traps on July 10. The picnic area, located five miles north of La Canada-Flintridge, is expected to remain closed for at least 10 days as crews dust for fleas and monitor other squirrels.
“Plague is a bacterial infection that could be transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas. However, it is very important for the public to know that there have only been four cases of human plague in Los Angeles County residents since 1984, none of which were fatal,” said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the county’s public health director.
Two ground squirrels found in the same picnic area tested positive for plague in 1996, as did a squirrel found in an adjacent campground in 1995.
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[img by flickr user: chrysophylax]
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