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The Los Angeles area has been hit by an outbreak of flea-borne typhus, according to local health authorities.
So far, 57 cases have been reported across LA County (LAC), according to the Department of Public Health (DPH). Twenty of these originated from the city of Pasadena, where the disease has reached “epidemic” levels this year. Usually, Pasadena sees between one and five cases a year.
Meanwhile, nine cases were reported in the Downtown area between July and September, the LAC DPH said, all in patients who have a history of living or working there. Six of these patients have experienced homelessness or living in interim housing facilities in the area.
Flea-borne typhus can spread to humans through contact with fleas carrying the bacteria Rickettsia typhi and R. felis. Infection happens when the feces from infected fleas are rubbed into cuts or scrapes in the skin or rubbed into the eyes. In LAC, the primary animals known to carry infected fleas include rats, feral cats and opossums. It cannot be spread person-to-person.
https://www.newsweek.com/flea-borne-...levels-1159544
So far, 57 cases have been reported across LA County (LAC), according to the Department of Public Health (DPH). Twenty of these originated from the city of Pasadena, where the disease has reached “epidemic” levels this year. Usually, Pasadena sees between one and five cases a year.
Meanwhile, nine cases were reported in the Downtown area between July and September, the LAC DPH said, all in patients who have a history of living or working there. Six of these patients have experienced homelessness or living in interim housing facilities in the area.
Flea-borne typhus can spread to humans through contact with fleas carrying the bacteria Rickettsia typhi and R. felis. Infection happens when the feces from infected fleas are rubbed into cuts or scrapes in the skin or rubbed into the eyes. In LAC, the primary animals known to carry infected fleas include rats, feral cats and opossums. It cannot be spread person-to-person.
https://www.newsweek.com/flea-borne-...levels-1159544