Due to increased plague activity in the Tahoe Basin area last fall, public health officials advise caution this summer. With the upcoming Memorial Day holiday heralding the unofficial beginning of the season, residents and visitors alike are being asked to be aware of the potential risk of rodent-borne disease.

Officials at the Placer Mosquito and Vector Control District (PMVCD) announce the beginning of tick season.  Results from surveillance activities for Ixodes pacificus, the western black-legged tick, have shown an increase in tick abundance in the foothill areas of Placer County.