Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials on Wednesday issued a warning to the public due to a localized outbreak of flea-borne typhus in Pico-Union.
The announcement comes after five people were hospitalized with the bacterial infection but have since recovered, public health officials said, noting that the county has seen an increase in cases.
“People are often exposed to typhus in and around their homes, when infected fleas are carried indoors on pets or other animals,” LADPH officials said in a news release. “In Los Angeles County, infected fleas are commonly found on rats, free-roaming cats, and opossums.”…