Murine typhus case WAILUKU >> Molokai recorded its first case of murine typhus this year and south Maui added a new confirmed case to its list, bringing the statewide total to 19, the state Department of Health said yesterday.
hits Molokai
South Maui confirms
another case, bringing the
state’s total to 19By Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.comThe previous statewide high in the last decade was 10.
State health spokeswoman Janice Okubo said the increase came as no surprise and the department has expected more cases of murine typhus, as the department continues to help people fight the rodent infestation problem in some areas of Hawaii.
Murine typhus, a bacterial infection, is carried by fleas on a rodent.
"It's pretty much doing what we expected to happen," she said.
Okubo said the increased incidence over recent years could be due to a heightened awareness.
Okubo noted that cases of murine typhus occur annually in Hawaii.
In 1944 during World War II, Hawaii had 186 cases of murine typhus -- which is believed to be the highest ever recorded, she said.
Symptoms include fever, rash, body ache, nausea, and vomiting, and can be treated with antibiotics.
Health officials note that murine typhus is a milder form of typhus and is rarely fatal.
Out of those recently contracting the illness, at least seven people have been hospitalized, including a Lahaina man who suffered complications, such as kidney failure and swelling in the brain.
The 19 murine typhus cases include one on Oahu, one on Kauai, one on Molokai and 16 on Maui.
Of the Maui cases, Kihei had eight, and Makawao and Wailuku had one each. Lahaina, Kahului and Kula had two each.