The LAPD in 2019 unveiled a germ-fighting robot at the Central Station after at least one officer contracted the disease. That came after the department was fined by state officials for failing to train employees about how typhus is transmitted.
The number of cases in 2018 and 2019 pales in comparison to those recored in 2025. In 2018, 109 cases were recorded. The next year, 92 cases were recorded, according to county data.
Symptoms generally appear within one or two weeks of infection. They can include high fever, chills, headache and rash in humans and, if not treated with antibiotics, can also lead to hospitalization and, in rare cases, death.
Rats, cats and opossums do not show symptoms of the typhus infection.
Residents can protect against the disease by using flea-control treatments on pets year-round, avoiding handling or feeding stray animals, and keep wildlife away by security trash cans and blocking entry points and hiding places on residential properties.