Overview
- County tallied 220 cases in 2025, the most on record, with about 90% of patients hospitalized.
- Health officials are investigating concentrated clusters in Central Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Willowbrook.
- The disease, caused by the bacterium Rickettsia typhi, spreads when flea feces enter cuts or eyes after a bite from fleas carried by rats, stray cats, or opossums, so officials urge year-round flea medication for pets and avoiding contact with strays.
- Symptoms often start one to two weeks after exposure with fever, headache, nausea, and a spotted rash, and early antibiotics are effective with deaths rare.
- A county report cites 277 statewide cases in the modern era, a total the California Department of Public Health has not confirmed.