California / IN BRIEF : IDYLLWILD : Campground Closed by Plague Threat

The U.S. Forest Service closed a campground in the San Jacinto Mountains after officials discovered a flea carrying bubonic plague. The Marion Mountain Campground, located about six miles north of Idyllwild, is expected to remain closed for about a month, said Steve Moise, a Riverside County environmental health specialist. The campground was closed to the public about three weeks ago after a flea captured by county health inspectors tested positive for the plague, Moise said. All other campgrounds in the San Jacinto Mountains have been found to be free of plague-carrying fleas, he said. Bubonic plague is normally not fatal if promptly diagnosed and treated, Moise said. He said symptoms of the disease include chills and fever. The disease is usually carried by squirrels.