{"id":858219,"date":"2026-09-23T21:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T21:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/858219\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T21:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T21:40:10","slug":"la-typhus-outbreaks-hospitalize-6-as-flea-borne-infection-resurfaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/858219\/","title":{"rendered":"LA typhus outbreaks hospitalize 6 as flea-borne infection resurfaces"},"content":{"rendered":"

A nasty flea-borne disease making a comeback<\/a> in Los Angeles has hospitalized six people in a new outbreak.<\/p>\n

Health officials are investigating the latest outbreak of flea-borne typhus in the Wilshire Center area as the bacterial infection continues to resurface across LA County, FOX LA<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

The new cluster comes just months after another outbreak was identified in Pico-Union, where five people developed symptoms and were hospitalized earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Health officials believe fleas are the key source of exposure in the latest outbreak.<\/p>\n

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A nasty flea-borne disease making a comeback in Los Angeles has hospitalized six people in a new outbreak. Los Angeles County Department of Public health<\/p>\n

Health officials are investigating the latest outbreak of flea-borne typhus in the Wilshire Center area as the bacterial infection continues to resurface across LA County. FOX 11 Los Angeles<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, anyone who has contact with fleas \u2014 that\u2019s the major exposure,\u201d Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, an infectious disease specialist at the USC Keck School of Medicine, told the outlet.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The illness is commonly linked to fleas carried by rats and other animals and has historically been associated with areas suffering from poor sanitation.<\/p>\n

Klausner said cases often occur around homeless encampments or other places with poor sanitation, while outdoor cats and other pets can also encounter infected fleas.<\/p>\n

The new cluster comes just months after another outbreak was identified in Pico-Union, where five people developed symptoms and were hospitalized earlier this year. FOX 11 Los Angeles<\/p>\n

Health officials believe fleas are the key source of exposure in the latest outbreak. David Buchan for CA Post<\/p>\n

Flea-borne typhus is a severe bacterial infection caused by Rickettsia typhi. People can become infected when feces from an infected flea enter the body through broken skin or are rubbed into the eyes.<\/p>\n

Symptoms typically emerge within one to two weeks and can include fever, headaches, vomiting, rash, muscle soreness and body aches.<\/p>\n

The disease does not spread from person to person and can be treated with antibiotics\u2014when caught early.<\/p>\n

The Wilshire Center outbreak comes amid a years-long rise in flea-borne typhus across Los Angeles County.<\/p>\n

People can become infected when feces from an infected flea enter the body through broken skin or are rubbed into the eyes. FOX 11 Los Angeles<\/p>\n

The disease does not spread from person to person and can be treated with antibiotics\u2014when caught early. FOX 11 Los Angeles<\/p>\n

The county recorded a record 220 cases in 2025, up from 187 the previous year. Nearly nine out of every 10 people diagnosed with the illness in 2025 required hospitalization.<\/p>\n

Another 109 cases have been reported across the county so far this year.<\/p>\n

LA County health officials have previously warned that infected fleas can be carried by rats, free-roaming cats and opossums, and people may be exposed around their own homes without realizing an animal is carrying them.<\/p>\n

Residents have been urged to keep pets on year-round flea control, avoid contact with wild or stray animals and prevent rats and other wildlife from taking up residence around their homes.<\/p>\n

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