About a week ago, officials said a child fell ill with the plague at Yosemite National Park. Now a popular campground there will be closed after several squirrels were killed by the disease.
The plague-infected squirrels were found in the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, about 40 miles west of Crane Flat Campground, where the child was camping with family.
In an “extremely precautionary public health measure,” park officials will apply flea insecticide to rodent burrows. As a result they are closing the campground from noon Monday to noon Friday, Aug. 21.
The infectious disease is carried by squirrels, chipmunks and other rodents via fleas. When an infected rodent becomes sick and dies, its fleas can carry the disease to other animals and humans.
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