Public health advisories have been posted near the intersection of Slater Avenue and Magnolia Street in Fountain Valley after a case of flea-borne typhus was detected in the area.

“Most of the animals that spread the disease are cold-blooded, so when it’s warmer, they’re more active,” explained Brian Brannon with Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control.

“It’s spread by the actual flea dirt or the excrement of the fleas, so when you scratch yourself, that dirt gets into your bloodstream.”

There have been five confirmed cases of flea-borne typhus in Orange County this year. The most recent case was reported in Fountain Valley earlier this month. A case was in reported in Santa Ana in January and again in June.