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LOS ANGELES, California, USA – The Los Angeles Police Department has been fined for unsanitary conditions and employees have not been trained to handle bacteria just two weeks before two employees contract typhoid fever.
The central station of the department was treated Thursday after two employees had contracted the bacteria that causes typhoid fever. We still do not know exactly how the person came into contact with the disease. According to the Los Angeles Times, sick employees are detectives. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that includes most Los Angeles police officers, said a sworn employee had contracted the disease. LAPD officials confirmed on Wednesday that a second employee of the station had developed symptoms consistent with the salmonella typhi bacteria, although an exact diagnosis has not yet been established. The apparent epidemic has provoked criticism of the city over the safety of officers and the public. This is also a follow-up to headlines about rat infestations at City Hall, an outbreak of Staphylococcus infection at the West Valley Station and the closure of a Westside Prison due to bedbugs. of bed.
The Central Station is located at 251 E. Sixth St. near Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. The region is struggling with infestations of rats and fleas as well as cases of typhus.
The Times reported on Thursday that the state's Labor Relations Department had fined the LAPD $ 5,425 for failing to train employees for typhus transmission, for the symptoms of the disease and for the measures to be taken. take to prevent it. The state also blamed the agency for not having an extermination program aimed at controlling rats, fleas, cockroaches, gnats, mosquitoes or grasshoppers – all of which were discovered at the station during an inspection in November, reported the Times.
The LAPD refused to comment on the state fine.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, the LAPD said its "Facilities Management Division was working with the city's general services to disinfect all work areas that may have been exposed and that work should be completed (Wednesday). ".
"The health and well-being of all LAPD police employees is critical and we will work diligently to create a safe work environment, but our police officers often patrol hostile environments and may be exposed to various dangerous elements." according to the LAPD. "We have informed the Police Protection League as well as all our employees of the Central Division of the epidemic and we have also provided them with strategies for staying healthy while mitigating the effects of this problem."
According to the Centers for Disease Control, typhoid fever is not common in the United States, where about 350 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. Most of these cases involve people who have traveled to the outside of the country.
Symptoms include sustained fever of up to 104 degrees, weakness, stomach pain, headache, diarrhea or constipation, coughing, and loss of appetite. The disease is treated with antibiotics.
Typhoid fever is different from typhus, which can spread to people from infected fleas and their feces.
In October, health officials announced a typhus epidemic in Los Angeles County, including downtown Skid Row, where approximately 2,000 homeless people sleep.
An employee of City Hall East was also affected by typhus.
In an interview with NBC4, Mayor Eric Garcetti said: "We must always watch over our police officers, we care a lot about them, and that's why we should regularly make sure we're on the ground, tripling the number of do you do.
"But we must also ensure that people do not dump things illegally, work with the county to make sure we have all the vaccines and all the health of our firefighters and our police officers who are right on the front line." , did he declare. said the station.
The LAPPL described typhoid fever as the last epidemic that has affected its workforce in the past two years and has had cases of hepatitis A, MRSA, typhus and bed bugs.
"At this point, we do not care who is at fault, we just want these toxic work sites to be cleaned and sanitized," according to a statement from the union's board of directors. "The police are worried enough about being shot or injured in the streets of Los Angeles, nor should they worry about infectious diseases that they could take home with their families." simply by showing up at work Our request is simple: clean it up and plan for preventive measures before a massive epidemic ".
Earlier this month, Los Angeles police closed their prison at the Pacific Station due to a bed bug infestation. Previously, three agents had contracted a highly contagious staph infection at West Valley Station in Reseda. A police official said the infections were due to a meeting with a homeless person at the police station.
City News Service and Office Clerk, Paige Austin
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