Deadly rat urine disease linked to infested RV after hazmat crews swooped on massive California tent city

A deadly disease spread by rat urine infected two people living in a filthy RV near a homeless encampment in California — with one patient dying after a lengthy hospitalization.

The two victims were living in a rat-infested RV about a mile from the homeless encampment at Eighth and Harrison streets in Berkeley, where officials later linked an outbreak of the same disease to rats.

“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 released in June said.

The illness, known as leptospirosis, is a potentially deadly flu-like disease that can spread through contact with urine from infected animals.

Berkeley began clearing the encampment Tuesday after winning court approval to remove the tents and structures. Officials had declared the sprawling camp a fire hazard and public nuisance following the disease outbreak and concerns about its rat population.

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The city first became aware of a potential disease problem in December 2025, when veterinarians treated dogs that had become sick.

Testing later found rats in the encampment were carrying leptospirosis, prompting the city to issue a public health warning and urge residents to take precautions.

Berkeley officials specifically told pet owners to “ensure dogs have the leptospirosis vaccine” and called for the encampments to be shut down.

The revelation about the two RV residents adds another grim chapter to the city’s struggle with the rat-infested encampment — as officials move to clear the site amid ongoing public health and safety concerns.

Despite the dangers posed by the camp, a full clearance was blocked multiple times due to court orders and lawsuits. While the city was finally given permission this time around, they were ordered to help disabled residents relocate.

Leptospirosis is uncommon in a place like Berkeley as the disease is often found in tropical climates 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 told SFGATE.

Around 1 million people get Leptospirosis per year, resulting in 60,000 deaths.