Typhus waning, officials say

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer

Even though the number of reported murine typhus cases in Hawai'i this year has risen to 25, with two new cases confirmed this week on Maui, state Health Department officials say the disease is declining.

Dr. Paul Kitsutani, medical officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assigned to O'ahu, said both of the new cases were people who had contracted the disease in early September.

He said a woman in her 60s from Lahaina and a woman in her 40s in Kihei were the latest cases.

"The numbers are not climbing," he said. "It's not a cause for alarm."

Kitsutani, who works with the state Health Department, said the peak of the disease — first reported in March — was in July with eight new cases; since then it has declined.

Murine typhus causes symptoms similar to cold or flu, but without the upper respiratory problems such as runny nose or cough. Kitsutani said typhus usually is accompanied by fever, headache, body ache, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

The disease, a bacterial infection, is carried by fleas on rodents. A big increase in the mouse population has been linked with the spread murine typhus this year.