Typhus is a serious illness, but it is treatable with antibiotics. It is more common in warm coastal areas, but in 2008 33 human cases of typhus were diagnosed in Austin/Travis County, and the first case of 2009 was diagnosed on May 22.
People get typhus from infected fleas and ticks. It isn't transmitted from person to person. You can become infected if you scratch the droppings of an infected flea or tick in to the site where they bit you or if you inhale the droppings.
Symptoms of typhus usually last less than two weeks and can include:
- high fever
- body aches
- headache
- chills
- a rash on the chest, back, arms, or legs (in about 50% of cases)
To learn more about typhus, including how to prevent it, go to
