LA County Warns of 5-Case Typhus Outbreak in Pico-Union as 2025 Cases Hit 220
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jul 30
LA County Warns of 5-Case Typhus Outbreak in Pico-Union as 2025 Cases Hit 220
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jul 30
Summary
Five people were hospitalized in a localized flea-borne typhus outbreak in Los Angeles' Pico-Union neighborhood, prompting LA County to issue a public warning; all have since recovered.
220 cases were recorded countywide in 2025 — a record level after cases have risen since 2010 — and 9 of the 10 people diagnosed last year required hospitalization.
Infected fleas are commonly carried indoors on pets and found on rats, free-roaming cats and opossums, officials said, with symptoms typically appearing one to two weeks after infection.
LA County urged residents to seek care quickly because antibiotics work when the disease is caught early, and to use year-round flea control, avoid stray animals and block wildlife from homes.