Typhus in SoCal, and Deadly Meningitis-like Infection in NOLA [View All]

[Maddy McCall]

In Southern California:

January 23, 2008

Once considered rare in Orange County, endemic typhus spread by fleas is on the rise here, health care officials said today.

In the first few weeks of the new year, the county's Health Care Agency has received reports of six confirmed or probable cases of the disease, involving four adults and two children in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Placentia. There were six reported cases of typhus in all of 2007 in the county and only one case in 2006, health officials said.

Cases also have been reported in parts of Los Angeles County, including Long Beach.

Typhus, which occurs naturally in Southern California, is transmitted by fleas carried by animals, including opossums, rodents and cats. The fleas bite the skin and leave their infected feces behind, which infiltrate the bloodstream.

more: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/article_1964460.php

In New Orleans:

A 22-year-old Dillard University student has died of a rare infection of the bloodstream that can spread bacteria throughout the body, New Orleans Health Department Director Kevin Stephens said Tuesday.

Citing a request for privacy from the man's family, Dillard spokeswoman Karen Celestan said she could not release the name of the student, who died Friday.

However, the state Office of Public Health is offering preventive care to the student's close contacts and offering information about the illness, said Dr. Takeisha Davis, the department's regional medical director.

Although the infection is difficult to treat because it moves quickly, Stephens said vaccines are effective. The body needs about two weeks after the shot to build up enough antibodies to ward off the infection, Davis said.

Dillard will be offering free immunizations to faculty, staff and students today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Lawless Memorial Chapel, Celestan said.

This infection, which can cause death within two days, is rare, striking one person in 500,000, Stephens said. Early warning signs are rash, fever and flulike symptoms.

more: http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-26/1201069426135380.xml&coll=1