'Typhus zone': Rats and trash infest Los Angeles' skid row, fueling disease

People "illegally dumping, food being discarded, accumulation of blankets and pillows, and human waste," are attracting the rats, a business advocate said.

LOS ANGELES — Wholesale fish distributors, produce warehouses and homeless encampments line Ceres Avenue downtown, creating perfect conditions for rats.

Uneaten food is dumped on the street — a salad platter was recently splattered on the asphalt — and discarded clothing piles up only to be swirled into rats' nests.

Those rats, experts say, are likely contributing to the growing number of typhus infections cropping up on skid row and other parts of the region. The disease is spread by fleas, which are carried by rats, opossums and pets.

"You have constant activity that serves as a breeding ground for rats," said Estela Lopez, executive director of the Central City East Association, a business improvement district that overlaps skid row.

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