Written By: N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe | Updated : September 14, 2025 6:42 PM IST
Health officials in Texas are raising an alarm as the US state is seeing an explosion of cases of typhus, a potentially deadly disease that can be fatal if left untreated. The state has reported that more than 6,700 cases were recorded between 2008 to 2023, which is about 70% of patients who were hospitalized and 14 deaths associated over that span of years.
This bacterial infection caused by Rickettsia Typhi was almost eradicated from the United States, but 76-year-old Dana Clark, a San Antonio musician, experienced firsthand that typhus is making its comeback.
"I am much better. My energy is not as good as it once was, and I'm a little wobbly, but I'm closing in on getting back to completely normal," said Clark, who got the flea-borne murine typhus from clearing weeds from her garden. She added, "I created a lot of dust, and just inhaling that dust can give someone typhus. Because of flea excrement."
Dr. Gregory M. Anstead, a San Antonio-based infectious disease specialist, states that, "In the 1990s, there were only about 200 cases in the state of Texas. And then if you go ahead, 20 years from 2010 to 2019, the number of cases went up 12-fold in the state of Texas."
He added, "What happened to Clark isn't uncommon. It's still not an extremely well-known disease in South Texas as a whole. Oftentimes, it will present, and then it'll be a while before the disease gets properly diagnosed and treated."
Murine typhus or flea-borne typhus is a disease caused by the bacteria Rickettsia Typhi. Researchers warn that murine typhus can be spread to people through contact with infected fleas, most commonly the Oriental Rat Flea, called Xenopsylla Cheopsis, and the Cat Flea, called Ctenocephalides Felis.
Symptoms of typhus may vary from person to person. Cleveland Clinic highlights some of the common signs:
If typhus is left untreated, it can lead to multiple complications, including:
Typhus can be treated with an antibiotic. Health professionals normally treat murine, epidemic and scrub typhus with doxycycline (an antibiotic that can be used in persons of any age). For individuals who are pregnant or have a certain medical condition, ensure to consult with your doctor first before administering the antibiotic. "Antibiotics are most effective when given soon after symptoms begin. People who are treated early with doxycycline usually recover quickly," the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states.
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Typhus can cause pneumonia and kidney failure, among many others.
Yes, typhus can be fatal.
Typhus is usually diagnosed based on symptoms, exposure history, and blood tests.
There are three types of typhus: epidemic typhus, murine typhus, and scrub typhus.
