Typhus outbreak in Huntington Beach, California

[Ian David]

GLIDE Number: EP-20070814-12932-USA
Date / time: 14/08/2007 20:18:05
Event: Epidemic Hazard
Area: North-America
Country: USA
State/County: State of California
City: Westminster, Huntington Beach
Number of Deads: None or unknow
Number of Injured: None or unknow
Damage level: Minor

Description:

Three people in Orange County have recently been diagnosed with typhus, a bacteria carried by fleas, the Orange County Health Care Agency reported today. The infected include an adult and a child from Westminster and an adult from Huntington Beach. All three were released from hospitals and are now recovering.

Typhus is transmitted by fleas carried by opossums, rodents and cats. The fleas bite the skin and leave their infected feces behind to infiltrate the bloodstream. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache and rash.

The illness is treatable with antibiotics and is not contagious. There have been five reported cases of typhus in Orange County this year.

To reduce the risk of typhus, give pets regular flea treatments, avoid contact with wild animals and keep the lids on outdoor trash cans.

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?lang=eng&cid=12932