SAN ANTONIO — A patient undergoing treatment in a San Antonio hospital has captured the attention of the nation.
The man contracted typhus. One month later, the 35-year-old lost his hands and toes.
Doctors told his family it was caused by a single flea bite.
At first, Michael Kohlhof's family thought he got COVID or the flu, but his symptoms kept getting worse.
One day, he woke up and his feet were numb. So he went to the hospital. That night, he went into septic shock.
This prompted questions from many KENS viewers. For example: How do we know if we have typhus, and what can we do to avoid getting it?
"Unfortunately this man had a very severe case," said Dr. Jason Bowling, an associate professor and infectious disease specialist at UT Health San Antonio.
Bowling says the most common typhus in Texas is transmitted by a bite from a cat flea. It's not passed from person to person. The majority of cases occur during the warmer months.
Unfortunately, it can be tough to tell right away if you have typhus. Symptoms for the disease are similar to COVID and the flu.
"People can have fever, they can have chills, feel very weak, feel bad in general. You can have some nausea, vomiting, headache," he explained.
Not everyone will get a rash from the flea bite. Bowling says if your symptoms get worse, see a doctor as soon as possible -- especially if you have underlying illnesses.
"Everybody needs to do their own risk assessment," Bowling explained.
To test for typhus, doctors need a blood sample which could take a week to get back. You'll likely be put on an antibiotic to avoid delaying treatment.
To help avoid getting sick, Bowling says make sure your pets get their appropriate flea treatments.
"Keep your trash cans closed," he added. "Don't pet stray animals."
If you leave food outside for your pet, keep in mind other animals that carry fleas can get to it.
"It's called the cat flea, but really this flea can be on other animals like opossums," said Bowling.
The good news is most people who get flea bites won't get typhus.
The disease is treatable and it's curable. Most cases, Bowling added, do not cause severe illness.
Wednesday, Kohlhof's brother, Greg, updated KENS 5 on Michael's recovery.
He said, "He is in pain from the rotation of amputations, procedures and surgeries to his feet, but the doctors are hoping to keep enough of them for him to walk. [He] has a grafting surgery tomorrow. We are all optimistic," wrote Greg in a text message. "Each day we are in awe of the maturity and internal reflection [Michael] musters to be as positive as he can despite the physical pain, mental weariness and thoughts full of future challenges."
A GoFundMe set up for Michael has collected nearly $100,000.