New Zealand / Health

Person suspected to have typhus spread by fleas from cats or rodents

14:57 pm on 10 June 2022

A person who works with stray cats in Auckland's northwest region is suspected to have a typhus disease spread by infected fleas from cats or rodents.

File image Photo: 123RF

In a statement, Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) said other people from the same household are also suspected of having the illness, Murine Typhus.

It is a notifiable disease treated with antibiotics and symptoms include fever, body aches, nausea, and a rash.

Murine Typhus can take up to two weeks to develop symptoms after being infected but severe illness is rare.

ARPHS was last notified of a case of the disease in 2017.

Dairy Flat Veterinary Clinic said it had been notified of the suspected cases and was asking pet owners to keep up to date with their animals' flea treatments and take care around stray animals.