Seven Typhus Cases Identified in Wilshire Center Outbreak

Los Angeles County health officials reported a flea-borne typhus outbreak in the Wilshire Center neighborhood, with seven symptomatic cases identified. Six people were hospitalized, and all seven had recovered, according to the county Department of Public Health. The department described the outbreak as the second localized typhus outbreak it has reported this year. Countywide, officials said 109 flea-borne typhus cases had been reported so far in 2026. The reports do not specify how many of those countywide cases are connected to the Wilshire Center outbreak beyond the seven identified patients. Flea-borne typhus is a bacterial infection transmitted to people by infected fleas. County health officials said those fleas are commonly associated locally with rats, opossums and free-roaming cats. Fleas can also be brought near people by pets that go outdoors. The disease does not spread from person to person, officials said. Symptoms can include fever, headache, chills, muscle or body aches, nausea, vomiting and a rash. They generally begin within about two weeks of exposure, according to health officials.