With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
There's A Flea-Borne Typhus Outbreak In Downtown LA
This image depicts a magnified left lateral view of a female Oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis. Downtown Los Angeles has seen an outbreak of flea-borne typhus in recent months, according to the county's public health department. (Photo by James Gathany/Courtesy of CDC/Ken Gage)
()
By Ryan Fonseca and Brian Frank
County health officials are working with the city of L.A. to investigate an outbreak of flea-borne typhus downtown and reduce the spread of the disease.
Typhus shows up throughout the county every year, with an average of about 60 cases countywide for each of the last five years. But it was a cluster of nine associated cases discovered downtown between July and September that got their attention, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
All of the people affected have a history of living or working in the downtown area, and some of them were homeless, health officials told LAist.
Support for LAist comes from
This form of typhus spreads when feces from an infected flea come into contact with cuts and scrapes on the skin or get rubbed into the eyes. Pets and other animals don't get sick, but for people the symptoms include rash, high fever, chills and headache. The disease can be treated with antibiotics, according to health officials, and it is not transmitted person-to-person.
Areas where trash accumulates can draw stray animals and rodents with fleas, increasing the chances of exposure, health officials added.
The health department recommended several ways to help prevent flea-borne typhus, including using flea control products on pets and not approaching or feeding stray animals.
"We encourage pet owners to practice safe flea control and encourage all cities in the county to ensure maintenance of their trash clean-up and rodent control activities," County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said in a statement.
Officials are still working to determine where exactly the cases in downtown L.A. may have occurred.
Hey, thanks. You read the entire story. And we love you for that. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you, not advertisers. We don't have paywalls, but we do have payments (aka bills). So if you love independent, local journalism, join us. Let's make the world a better place, together. Donate now.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent. -
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence.
Best of LAist