{"id":1815,"date":"2026-06-11T05:07:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1815"},"modified":"2026-06-11T05:07:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:07:11","slug":"rat-borne-disease-leaves-one-dead-another-sickened-in-berkeley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1815","title":{"rendered":"Rat-borne disease leaves one dead, another sickened in Berkeley"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>BERKELEY \u2014 One person died and another fell ill after contracting a bacterial disease from wild rats they were keeping inside their RV in Berkeley, city officials said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1813\">Saratoga Blossom Festival canceled due to unforeseen circumstances<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The human cases of leptospirosis are the first in the city in more than a decade, City Manager Paul Buddenhagen wrote in a  to the city council Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Leptospirosis is commonly carried by rats globally, and while cases among people are rare, the bacterial disease can be transmitted to humans through the urine of an infected rat.<\/p>\n<p>The human cases in Berkeley were confirmed last month, Buddenhagen said in the update.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth individuals lived together in a recreational vehicle in which they had been trapping, feeding and breeding wild rats,\u201d he said \u201cIn addition, the vehicle was severely infested with wild rats that were not in cages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Buddenhagen said the RV was parked about a mile from Harrison Street, where rats and two dogs living in and around homeless encampments tested positive for leptospirosis in December.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe individuals fell sick, but they did not seek medical care for weeks and possibly months,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1811\">Body found at waste facility in San Jose<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Firefighters took the couple to an area hospital, where one of them died. The other recovered after receiving treatment.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Alameda County Vector Control laid traps inside the RV and in the immediate vicinity, Buddenhagen said. After nearly 200 rats were removed, the RV was towed and destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>Buddenhagen said the city is taking steps to prevent additional cases in humans and dogs, including targeted outreach to homeless encampments, debris removal and regular trapping and testing of rats.<\/p>\n<p>The general risk to the public remains \u201cextremely low,\u201d Buddenhagen said, adding that the bacteria associated with leptospirosis cannot survive in typical dry, clean properties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt requires constant moisture, standing water or heavy rodent infestations to pose a threat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1810\">Body found buried at Oakland homeless camp<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Check back for updates.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One person died and another fell ill after contracting a bacterial disease from wild rats they were keeping inside their RV in Berkeley, city officials said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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