LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Los Angeles County residents were being warned Wednesday, Sept. 23, after an outbreak of flea-borne typhus was reported in the Wilshire Center neighborhood of LA, where seven symptomatic cases were identified and six people were hospitalized.
All seven people have recovered, according to the county Department of Public Health.
The outbreak is the second reported by the department this year and comes amid an increase in flea-borne typhus cases countywide. A total of 109 cases have been reported in LA County so far this year, health officials said.
“As flea-borne typhus cases continue to increase across Los Angeles County, preventing exposure to fleas on free roaming animals and wildlife is more important than ever,” county Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said. “Community members can help protect themselves and their neighbors by keeping pets on flea control year-round, rodent proofing their homes and making sure wildlife cannot live in or around their homes. Simple steps can prevent serious illness.”
Flea-borne typhus is a bacterial infection spread by infected fleas, which in LA County are commonly found on rats, free-roaming cats and opossums. People are often exposed around their homes through fleas carried by pets or wildlife, health officials said.
The disease is not spread from person to person.
Symptoms generally appear one to two weeks after infection and can include fever, headache, body aches, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and rash. Health officials urged people experiencing symptoms to seek medical care promptly, particularly if they may have been exposed to fleas or animals.
Flea-borne typhus can be treated with antibiotics, and early diagnosis can help prevent severe illness and hospitalization.
Cases have been increasing in LA County since 2010, according to the health department. A record 220 cases were reported in 2025, up from 187 in 2024. Last year’s cases involved people ranging in age from 1 to 85.
Although the latest outbreak is centered in Wilshire Center, health officials said the risk of flea-borne typhus exists countywide.
Residents were urged to routinely use flea-control products on pets, keep pets indoors as much as possible, avoid feeding or touching free-roaming animals and avoid leaving pet food outdoors.
Health officials also recommended keeping yards free of debris and overgrown vegetation, securing trash in containers with tightly fitting lids and sealing crawl spaces and other openings where animals could enter or hide.
More information is available at ph.lacounty.gov/Typhus.