The typhus rats: Why a medieval disease is rocking LA

Nypost · Aug 05, 2026 · 1221 words · By Christopher F Rufo; Ryan Thorpe

Government Incompetence Environmental Regulation vs. Urban Safety Public Health Crisis

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What to know about Government Incompetence

The typhus rats: Why a medieval disease is rocking LA See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 4

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The typhus rats: Why a medieval disease is rocking LA See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The California Post on Google Rats, and the fleas that live on them, can be carriers of deadly diseases — including typhus, a bacteria-borne, fever-like illness that is rocking LA.

Common ground

Since 2009, the number of flea-borne typhus cases in LA has increased by a staggering 2,300%.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear, Black-and-White Fallacy: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Government Incompetence story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Last year, the county recorded more cases than at any point in its history?
How does this story connect Government Incompetence with Environmental Regulation vs. Urban Safety over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/opinion/the-typhus-rats-why-a-medieval-disease-is-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Appeal to Fear 85% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Black-and-White Fallacy 80% confidence

Presenting only two options when more exist.

Why it matters: Recognizing black-and-white fallacy helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 6

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “Last year, the county recorded more cases than at any point in its history.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that the county has recorded record-high numbers of cases, specifically citing 2025 as the highest-ever recorded year.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Los_Angeles

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Los Angeles (LA or L.A.) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3.87 million residents …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Los Angeles County, sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is a county in the U.S. state of California, in the southern region of the state. It is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,69…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_County,_California

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Local public-health officials noted that some 90% of typhus patients required hospitalization last year.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 3: “in 2009, for example, it saw just nine [flea-borne typhus cases].”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific figure of nine cases in 2009 is mentioned in the City Journal report; other sources mention a general rise since 2010 but do not explicitly confirm the 2009 count of nine.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “In 2020, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1788 into law, sharply restricting the use of potent anticoagulant rat poisons”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “LA announced yet another flea-borne typhus outbreak, this time in the Pico-Union neighborhood, where five people have been hospitalized so far this year.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 6: “In June, a fire tore through a massive warehouse in Boyle Heights, destroying refrigeration for roughly 85 million pounds of frozen food.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 7: “By year’s end [2018], LA had recorded 109 cases of typhus countywide — a record high.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about Los Angeles and does not mention the 2018 case count of 109.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Chair of the Los Angeles County also called Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and sometimes called the Mayor of Los Angeles County is responsible for the day-to-day operations o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_of_Los_Angeles_County

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable districts and neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles in the U.S. state of California, present and past. It includes residential and commercial industrial areas, histori…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_districts_and_neighbor…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 8: “By 2024, LA would report another record high for flea-borne typhus cases: 187.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

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Claim 9: “In 2025, the pest control company Orkin released its annual list of the most rat-infested major cities in America... Orkin named a new location as America’s rattiest city: Los Angeles.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 10: “In 2022, LA saw 171 cases of flea-borne typhus”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about Los Angeles and does not mention the 2022 case count of 171.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Los Angeles (LA or L.A.) [b] is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3.87 million reside…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Los. If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los

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web search NEUTRAL — Translate Los. See 3 authoritative translations of Los in English with example sentences, phrases and audio pronunciations.
https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/los

verified

Claim 11: “the county... suffered three typhus deaths [in 2022] — the first documented fatalities in decades.”

VERIFIED

A source specifically reporting on the Santa Monica outbreak confirms that the first flea-borne typhus deaths in LA County since 1993 were reported in 2022.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Los Angeles faces a medieval typhus outbreak fueled by rat infestations and ineffective city policies.In 2022, L.A. suffered more typhus outbreaks, marking another turning point in the county’s fight …
https://pjmedia.com/rick-moran/2026/08/06/los-angeles-isnt-j…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is reporting a record number of flea-borne typhus cases in Los Angeles County, with 220 cases identified in 2025, the highest-ever recorded.
https://lacounty.gov/2026/04/02/public-health-reports-all-ti…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating five outbreak-associated cases in the City.Though fatalities are uncommon, the first flea-borne typhus deaths in LA County since 199…
https://www.smdp.com/santa-monica-reports-typhus-outbreak-as…

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Claim 12: “In 2025, that record was broken again, with 220 cases”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results, although other evidence mentions 220 cases in 2025, the specific claim index 9 evidence block is empty.

info

Claim 13: “In 2020, Raul Cabrera, the LAFD captain for Station 6, wrote an email to city officials complaining that his fire station was being overrun by rats from a homeless encampment.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The report regarding Captain Raul Cabrera's email about rats at Station 6 is found in one specific source (Todayville).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In 2020, Raul Cabrera, the LAFD captain for Station 6, wrote an email to a city employee complaining that his fire station was being overrun by rats from a homeless encampment.
https://www.todayville.com/the-typhus-rats-of-los-angeles/

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web search NEUTRAL — a majority of participants, about 43.5%, in a sample of 1,559 adults reported a...
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01490400.2020.1…

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web search NEUTRAL — (Pre-Arrival) LAFD Battles Homeless Encampment Fire That Turned Into Greater Alarm Structure Fire. RB Fire Media. 217K 5y ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Md1wBUKX8

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Claim 14: “Four years later, Newsom signed AB 2552, further expanding those restrictions.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “Since 2009, the number of flea-borne typhus cases in LA has increased by a staggering 2,300%.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (City Journal via various aggregators like Pagegoo and Vermont Daily Chronicle) report the specific figure of a 2,300% increase since 2009.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1924 Los Angeles pneumonic plague outbreak was an outbreak of the pneumonic plague in Los Angeles, California that began on September 28, 1924, and was declared fully contained on November 13, 192…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1924_Los_Angeles_pneumonic_pla…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Echidnophaga gallinacea, also known as the hen flea or sticktight flea, is part of the 2,500 known flea types in the Siphonaptera order. Echidnophaga gallinacea appear dark brown in colour and is a sm…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidnophaga_gallinacea

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms such as fever, headache, and a rash typically begin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhus

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 16: “Between July and September [2018], the county identified nine typhus cases linked to downtown.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm that between July and September, the county identified nine typhus cases linked to downtown LA.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. The LASD is the large…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_County_Sheriff's_D…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the transportation system in Los Angele…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Metro

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.