A serious illness linked to rat urine has impacted two people residing in a heavily infested RV nearby a homeless encampment in California; one of them sadly passed away after being hospitalized for an extended period.
These two individuals lived in an RV plagued by rats, located about a mile away from the homeless camp at Eighth and Harrison streets in Berkeley. Notably, officials later associated a similar outbreak of the disease with rat activity in that area.
“Both individuals had been living in a severely rat-infested RV about one mile from the Harrison Street encampment. Tragically, one of the patients died and one recovered after a lengthy hospitalization,” a city memo noted in June.
The disease, referred to as leptospirosis, is a potentially lethal virus that resembles flu symptoms and can transmit through contact with the urine of infected animals.
After receiving court authorization, Berkeley commenced the clearing of the encampment on Tuesday. Officials designated the extensive camp as a fire hazard and a public nuisance due to the recent outbreak and the high rat population.
The city initially became aware of possible disease issues back in December 2025 after veterinarians diagnosed sick dogs in the area.
Subsequent tests revealed that rats inhabiting the encampment carried leptospirosis, which led the city to issue a public health warning and advised residents to be cautious.
Officials urged pet owners to ensure their dogs were vaccinated against leptospirosis, further reinforcing the call to dismantle the encampment.
The situation surrounding the two RV residents adds another troubling layer to the ongoing issues related to this rat-infested site, especially as city officials continue to address public health and safety concerns.
Despite the known dangers of the encampment, attempts to fully clear it had faced several legal obstacles. However, after gaining permission, the city was instructed to assist disabled residents during the relocation process.
Leptospirosis is relatively rare in Berkeley; it’s more commonly found in tropical regions like Hawaii. “Humans swim in the water, and then the bacteria that lives in the urine multiplies with warm weather and then gets into the cuts on the skin of humans or the eyes or dogs, too. That’s how people get sick,” an infectious disease specialist at UCSF explained.
Approximately 1 million cases of leptospirosis occur annually, resulting in about 60,000 fatalities.
