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New coverage from Phys.org and the Natural History Museum warns that shifting climate conditions could change the risks posed by deadly rodent-borne diseases. Warmer temperatures and altered rainfall patterns may expand rodent habitats and increase human contact with pathogens such as hantavirus and Lassa fever, prompting calls for improved disease surveillance as environments change.

Health officials are investigating a flea-borne typhus outbreak in the Wilshire Center neighborhood of Los Angeles. Flea-borne typhus, spread by fleas that pick up the bacteria from rodents, cats and opossums, can cause fever, headache and rash. Local news coverage is drawing attention to the outbreak, with residents and officials focused on how it is spreading and what steps are being taken to contain it.

An NPR report examines how cities like Washington, DC and New York are tackling rat infestations by changing human behavior rather than only targeting the rodents. The approach focuses on better waste management and food disposal habits, arguing that rats thrive when people leave trash accessible. Officials in both cities have run public campaigns urging residents to secure garbage and deny rats food sources.