Long Beach health officials are warning about a rise in flea-borne typhus cases and advising residents to be especially careful when they walk pets near Bixby Park or interact with stray cats.
Localized outbreaks have occurred in “the Bixby Park and Junipero Beach area,” said Jennifer A. Gonzalez, the Health Department’s acting public information officer. Residents in the neighborhood can expect contact from the city, which will be providing more resources on typhus, she added.
The Health Department declined to comment on the size of the current outbreak and the demographics of those affected, but, overall, 20 cases have been reported to the city in the past seven months, which matches Long Beach’s average for an entire year.
Health Department Epidemiology Supervisor Nora Balanji said that “we have cases distributed throughout the city,” and said everyone — not just those in the Bixby Park and Junipero Beach area — should be on watch for typhus.
While typhus is rarely fatal (less than 1% of those infected die, according to the Centers for Disease Control), symptoms can be severe – “75% of cases in 2025 were hospitalized,” the Health Department said in the press release. The disease is treated with antibiotics, which Balanji said tend to resolve the disease quickly.
When asked if pet owners should avoid Bixby Park, Balanji said she “wouldn’t say to avoid walking pets, but I would make sure that if they are taking their pets outside that they are on their flea control medication.” Balanji, Gonzalez and Dr. Anissa Davis, Long Beach’s health officer, all heavily emphasized the importance of flea medication in preventing typhus.
The city encouraged residents to keep pets inside and maintain regular flea control treatment, avoid wild animals, including stray cats, cull vegetation and clutter and close off openings around and under their houses and call Animal Care Services at 562-570-7387 to report dead animals.
Long Beach’s typhus cases peaked at 28 in 2021 and promptly fell to 13 in 2022, city records show a steady increase since 2023, with 19 and 23 cases reported in the past two years. Typhus is spread by fleas “typically carried by rats, opossums, community cats and other animals,” according to a Health Department press release, but Balanji emphasized the role of possums and stray cats in Long Beach’s outbreak.
Symptoms include aches and muscle pain, cough, fever and chills, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and sometimes rash, according to the CDC. If you suspect you have typhus, contact your health care provider immediately to get tested. Davis added that patients should tell their doctors if they have pets or regularly feed stray cats.