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Cause:
Rickettsia typhi
or R. felis for fleaborne (endemic or murine) typhus
and R. prowazekii for louseborne (epidemic) typhus.
Illness and treatment:
Louseborne
typhus is
characterized by fevers, chills,
headache,
muscle aches, and rash. Fleaborne or murine typhus
resembles louseborne typhus, but symptoms are milder.
Treatment is with antibiotics.
Sources:
Apparently healthy rats are
the reservoir and fleas the vector for fleaborne typus.
Humans are the reservoir and the body louse is the vector
for louse-borne typhus. Both forms of typhus are acquired by
rubbing flea or louse feces into a bite or other fresh skin
wound.
Additional risks:
Endemic
typhus is rarely reported in the United States. Most cases
occur in southern California, southern Texas, the
southeastern Gulf Coast, and Hawaii.
Prevention:
Keep rodents, especially
rats, away from human habitations.
Recent Washington trends:
The
last reported case was in 1994 after travel to Asia.
2008:
No cases were reported.
Purpose of Reporting and
Surveillance
- To educate potentially
exposed persons about signs and symptoms of disease, thereby
facilitating early diagnosis.
- To educate people about
how to reduce their risk of infection.
- To determine the
epidemiology of the disease in Washington State.
Legal Reporting Requirements
- Health care providers: immediately notifiable to
local health jurisdiction
- Hospitals: immediately notifiable to local health
jurisdiction
- Laboratories: no requirements for notification
- Local
health jurisdictions: notifiable to Washington State
Department of Health (DOH) Communicable Disease Epidemiology
Section (CDES) within 7 days of case investigation
completion or summary information required within 21 days. If bioterrorism is suspected, case
must be immediately reported to DOH: 1-877-539-4344
Last
update
November 2009 |
