Politics & Government

Typhus Warnings Posted in Manhattan Beach

Signs have gone up in the neighborhood near Polliwog Park.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Originally posted at 3:25 p.m. Feb. 27, 2013. City News Service erred in the original reporting of this story. L.A. County Department of Public Health officials say today's warnings were a follow-up to a case reported in November, NOT a new case

County health officials posted follow-up warnings today about a case of endemic typhus fever that was reported late last year in the neighborhood near Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach.

Details about the patient have not been released, but officials have posted information in the area -- near Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Redondo Avenue -- about precautions that should be taken with wildlife and domestic pets, according to Manhattan Beach police. The patient was diagnosed in November, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health,

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A public health official said the case was reported last year following the diagnosis, and today's warnings were a follow-up to that diagnosis -- not a new case of the illness.

Typhus fever is not transferred person-to-person, but is spread by bacteria-infected fleas, which can by found on cats, possums and certain rats, according to the county Public Health department. Infected animals generally do not display any symptoms of the disease.

Find out what's happening in Manhattan Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

People who contract the illness generally develop fever, headaches, chills, body aches and sometimes rashes. Most cases require hospitalization, but it is treatable when properly diagnosed, according to the county.

Police urged people to be cautious when encountering wildlife, stray dogs, feral cats or free-roaming pets.

--City News Service


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