LA continues to battle flea-borne Typhus outbreak

By

February 13, 2019

As we recently shared from Buzzfeed, a Typhus outbreak began in downtown Los Angeles in October. It has continued, and made its way to City Hall, according to local CBS Los Angeles. City Hall removed carpets and called a pest control company, City Council President Herb Wesson told CBS Los Angeles.

The outbreak, caused by fleas carrying Typhus, was most likely brought by rats because of the excess garbage and homeless camps around the area. Skid Row, where an estimated 2,000 homeless people stay, was included as part of the outbreak area. Typhus is typically spread by fleas that have been infected by rats, cats and opossums.

Along with treating for pests, a city spokesperson told CBS Los Angeles that there has been an effort to pick up trash more often in and around City Hall.

According to Buzzfeed, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is reporting that the average number of reported cases has doubled to about 60 cases each year.

Category:

About the Author

Photo courtesy of Danielle Pesta

Danielle Pesta is the senior digital media manager at North Coast Media, the parent company of PMP magazine. She can be reached at dpesta@northcoastmedia.net.

Leave A Comment

Comments are closed.