Join us for the launch of our new Community of Practice to End TB!

Online meeting - Wednesday, April 23, 2025 12-1:30PM PDT

In California, an estimated 2 million people are living with Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI), with 674,425 individuals in Los Angeles County alone. Since 85% of TB cases in the state are due to the reactivation of LTBI, diagnosing and treating LTBI is crucial to preventing active TB. However, only about 13% of those with LTBI in California receive treatment, leaving a significant opportunity to reduce TB transmission.

The Southern California Community of Practice to End TB is a forum for healthcare providers, clinics, healthcare systems, and public health agencies to work together to scale up LTBI diagnosis and treatment and to facilitate tracking community progress towards TB elimination.

View the agenda on the Community of Practice flyer and register for the online meeting at https://tinyurl.com/tbelimination. 

Flea-borne (Murine) Typhus: A Re-emerging Threat in the United States - CDC Webinar 3/27/25

Recording and slides now available

During the last 25 years, flea-borne (murine) typhus, a potentially life-threatening rickettsiosis caused by Rickettsia typhi, has re-emerged with a vengeance across multiple urban centers in the United States. This is strikingly evident in Los Angeles (LA) County where Public Health has documented a dramatic rise in cases to a record high of 187 cases in 2024.

Several vertebrate species associated with urban and peri-urban habitats, including rats, opossums, and several species of fleas, contribute to the zoonotic transmission of R. typhi to susceptible human hosts. Flea-borne (murine) typhus is treatable with antibiotics, and people who are treated early in the infection recover quickly. Severe disease that can include meningoencephalitis, myocarditis, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or death may occur in people if treatment is delayed, or if the diagnosis is missed.

For more information, see the MMWR report on flea-borne typhus associated deaths in LA County in 2022, and the LA County typhus webpage which has data, resources for the public, and information on testing and reporting.

Given the growing impact of murine typhus across U.S. urban centers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is hosted and recorded a webinar/COCA Call (with CME/CE) for healthcare professionals: CDC COCA Call: Murine Typhus – Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Re-emergence in the U.S. 

Clinical Recognition and Management of Hepatitis A: Preventing Outbreaks in Los Angeles County

CME available

November 20, 2024

Since April 2024, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH) has been responding to an outbreak of hepatitis A among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) and people who use illicit drugs (PWUD). This outbreak has now surpassed the size of the local outbreak among PEH and PWUD that occurred in 2017-2018.

This article summarizes the current outbreak and reviews actions clinicians can take to improve the recognition, reporting, management, and prevention of hepatitis A.  READ MORE

Rx for Prevention, 2025