California Resident Dies from Leptospirosis After 200 Rats Found in RV Near Berkeley Homeless Camp
A Berkeley, California resident died in May from leptospirosis, a bacterial disease spread through infected animal urine, after living in an RV where they had been trapping, feeding, and breeding wild rats. City Manager Paul Buddenhagen confirmed the death in a June 10 memo to the City Council, noting that nearly 200 rats were removed from the severely infested vehicle before it was towed and destroyed. The case marks Berkeley's first known human leptospirosis death in more than a decade and has prompted public health officials to broaden their outreach beyond a previously established geographic warning zone.
Berkeley officials confirmed that one person died and a second survived after both contracted leptospirosis while living in an RV they used to trap, feed, and breed wild rats. The vehicle, parked roughly a mile from the Harrison Street homeless encampment where leptospirosis had already been detected in rats and dogs since late 2025, was described as 'severely infested' with uncaged wild rodents. Alameda County Vector Control removed nearly 200 rats from the RV before it was towed and destroyed. Both residents delayed seeking medical care for weeks or possibly months, a factor officials believe worsened the severity of their illness. Leptospirosis is a treatable bacterial infection that causes flu-like symptoms in early stages but can progress to organ failure and death if untreated; infectious disease experts stressed that prompt antibiotic treatment is effective. Continuous testing around the RV found leptospirosis prevalence in local rats exceeding typical urban baselines. In response, Berkeley Public Health retired its earlier geographic risk zones and shifted focus to conditions that elevate risk — including rat infestations, standing water, and poor sanitation — while distributing flyers to unhoused and vehicle-dwelling residents and issuing guidance to local medical providers.
What's missing
It is not reported whether the two residents had any underlying health conditions that may have contributed to the severity of their illness.
How coverage differed
The New York Post emphasized sensational details such as 'rat roulette' and the proximity to a 'sprawling homeless camp,' framing the story around the encampment context more prominently. The San Francisco Chronicle and Yahoo Finance/People took a more measured public-health framing, centering official reassurances about low community risk and the city's expanded response measures.
What different sources said
- Yahoo FinanceCenter
Californian Dies from Rare Disease After 'Trapping, Feeding and Breeding Wild Rats' in an RV
- SFGATECenter
Extremely rare tick-borne disease infects person in NorCal
- New York PostRight
Forget hantavirus — another rat disease killed a California resident after 200 rodents found in home
- San Francisco ChronicleCenter
1 dead after rare rat-borne disease surfaces in Berkeley
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