Nearly 106-degree fever sent 12-year-old Hope Smith into septic shock after flea-borne murine typhus was missed for days and she was rushed from the ER to the pediatric ICU.
Dr. Gueorgui Dubrocq started doxycycline before lab confirmation because typhus tests can take more than a week, and Hope improved enough to go home after six days in the hospital.
Four potential cases in one week and diagnoses almost every other day across a 100-mile Central Texas area point to higher-than-usual summer spread, which Dubrocq partly links to mild winters that leave flea populations intact.
Murine typhus can mimic strep, hand-foot-and-mouth disease and other common illnesses, with symptoms including persistent fever, rash, headache, vomiting and extreme fatigue.
Families can cut risk by using flea prevention on pets, treating infestations, maintaining yards, wearing shoes outdoors and seeking follow-up care when a child's symptoms keep worsening.