Huntington resident treated for typhus

A Huntington Beach resident was recently one of three people in northwest Orange County hospitalized for endemic typhus, authorities said. All have since been released and are recovering, but county health-care officials warn that the disease is serious and people should take precautions.

Authorities did not give the resident’s name.

Endemic typhus, the strain of the disease found in Southern California, is transmitted by fleas, who pick up the infection from cats, opossums and rodents, said county public health services spokesman Howard Sutter. Residents should avoid such animals and make sure they give their pets flea medication. It isn’t passed from person to person, he said.

Symptoms of the disease include headaches, fever, muscle ache and rashes, but typhus can only be diagnosed for sure by a blood test, Sutter said. The local form of the disease can be treated by antibiotics and is not normally fatal, but there can be rare complications, especially among the very young, the very old and those with existing medical conditions.

While the disease occurs naturally in the area, this year marks the county’s first reported cases in 14 years, Sutter said. There were a couple of local cases in January as well, he added. They too recovered, he said.

“Prior to earlier this year, we hadn’t seen it in a long time,” he said.