YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, California - Officials at Yosemite National Park say they are temporarily shutting a popular campsite after two squirrels died of plague in the area.

Park officials said Friday that Tuolumne Meadows Campground will close from noon Monday through noon Friday so authorities can treat the area with a flea-killing insecticide.

Plague is carried by rodents and is spread by fleas. Transmission of plague between people is rare, and state health officials say the risk to human health is low.

An unidentified child fell ill with the plague after camping with his family at Yosemite's Crane Flat Campground in mid-July. The park reopened Crane Flat on Friday after treating that campground for four days with an insecticide.

“Human cases of plague are rare, with the last reported human infection in California occurring in 2006,” said Dr. Karen Smith, director and state health officer of the California Department of Public Health. “Although this is a rare disease, people should protect themselves from infection by avoiding any contact with wild rodents. Never feed squirrels, chipmunks, or other rodents in picnic or campground areas, and never touch sick or dead rodents. Protect your pets from fleas and keep them away from wild animals."

The child is recovering in a hospital.

Since 1970, 42 people in California have contracted plague, resulting in nine deaths.

The National Park Service warns visitors never to feed rodents or touch dead ones, and to wear long pants to avoid flea bites.

Additional reporting by Mashable