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Soumya Karlamangla
A week after announcing a flea-borne typhus outbreak in downtown Los Angeles, health officials on Friday announced a new outbreak, this time in Willowbrook.
Typhus was diagnosed in four people in the unincorporated community near South Los Angeles, three of whom were hospitalized, according to health officials.
Epidemics of typhus are often associated with poor hygiene and overcrowding. More and more people are suffering from typhus in Los Angeles County over the past decade, although experts do not know why.
The latest cases bring the county total to at least 83 this year. There were five in 2008, according to the California Department of Public Health.
"We plan to continue to observe flea-typhus clusters throughout LA County," health officials wrote in an alert to doctors on Friday.
The epidemic in downtown Los Angeles has made nine people sick, including six homeless. There were also 20 cases in Pasadena.
Officials in Los Angeles said they were scolding stray animals that could carry fleas, cleaning the streets and encouraging people to treat their pets against fleas and storing litter that could attract animals. infected.
Typhus is distinguished from typhoid fever, a food-borne illness that is rarely contracted in the United States and can be transmitted from one person to another. Typhus, on the other hand, can not be transmitted between people.
"We continue to see cases of typhus transmitted by fleas in Los Angeles County, so it is important that everyone take action to reduce the risk of infection," said Friday the medical officer of health. Los Angeles County, Dr. Muntu Davis. "Typhus infection can be prevented through flea control measures on pets, the use of an insect repellent to prevent flea bites and the cleaning of areas likely to attract wildlife. such as cats, rats and opossums. "
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