Berkeley Couple Dies from Rare Disease After Breeding Rats in RV

Deadly Outbreak Marks Decade First

A man died in Berkeley last month after contracting leptospirosis while living in a severely rat-infested RV, marking the city's first human case of the bacterial disease in over a decade. His female companion, who also contracted the disease, survived after a lengthy hospitalization. The couple had been trapping, feeding and breeding wild rats inside their recreational vehicle , creating what health officials described as an extreme situation.

The pair lived about a mile from Berkeley's Harrison Street homeless encampment, at Fifth and Virginia streets, when they became ill. Both delayed seeking medical care for weeks, possibly months, which officials believe contributed to the severity of their illness. The man tragically passed away shortly after hospitalization.

Massive Cleanup Effort Required

City workers and Alameda County Vector Control responded by placing rodent traps in and around the RV, keeping the vehicle sealed and opening it only to remove traps with dead rats over several days. Nearly 200 rats were removed from the RV before it was destroyed.

In response to the outbreak, the city provided free vaccination to dogs at the encampment and removed 40 tons of garbage. No new infections have been reported at the encampment. However, testing continues to show a high prevalence of the disease in rats tested, which exceeds baseline levels in California urban rat populations.

Disease Spreads Beyond Original Zone

The city first detected leptospirosis in the Harrison Street encampment in late 2025, where numerous rats and at least two dogs tested positive for the disease. Officials designated the area around the encampment as a "Red Zone" and recommended that residents move out as soon as possible to mitigate health risks.

With evidence of infected rats no longer being limited to the Harrison corridor, city officials have shifted to a broader citywide prevention strategy, focusing on high-risk environments such as RVs and encampments with rat infestations. Health officials emphasized that exposure to rats infected with leptospirosis poses a potentially serious health risk to humans and dogs.

Public Health Implications

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection transmitted through contact with urine from infected animals, particularly rats and other rodents. City health officials believe that the risk to housed city residents remains extremely low, since they are less likely to be in contact with rats and can take other steps to avoid the bacteria. However, people living in camps, RVs, or other situations with greater rat exposure face higher risks.

The tragic case highlights the intersection of housing instability and public health, where vulnerable populations living in substandard conditions face heightened exposure to disease vectors. As cities across California grapple with homelessness and housing shortages, this outbreak serves as a stark reminder that public health challenges extend far beyond traditional healthcare settings into the spaces where people are forced to live.