Typhus, an ancient disease, is on the streets of Los Angeles. What’s next — bubonic plague?

Yes, quite possibly.

Plague, though rare, is endemic among rodents in California. All it takes to spread is a bite from an infected flea. That’s the same way that typhus is spreading in LA — because the rodent population is out of control.

And as reported this week in The California Post, the rodent population is out of control for two reasons: One is that Gavin Newsom has signed “green” legislation that restricts the use of certain rat poisons so as to protect wildlife, including those on the edges of cities.

Evidently, the lives of coyotes matter more than the lives of people.

The other reason is that homelessness remains out of control. After billions of dollars in spending on “housing first” strategies, the homeless population of LA is going up, not down. Homeless encampments bring unsanitary conditions — the kinds of conditions that caused an urban outbreak of Hepatitis A in San Diego a few years ago. Encampments also bring rodents and other pests. And these, in turn, spread typhus and other diseases.

Not long ago, there was even a typhus outbreak in City Hall, thanks to an infestation of vermin.

LA is not a Third World city — or at least, it’s not supposed to be one.

We are famous for our palm tree-lined streets. We have some of the most expensive real estate in the world. We are about to host the Summer Olympic Games.

We should be paragons of pristine postindustrial prosperity. Instead, we are mired in medieval muck. 

This is not something that happened to us. It is a political choice that we — or our leaders — have made. 

It is a choice to put utopian environmental visions ahead of public health, and the basic needs of residents.

The city and county need to stop treating homeless encampments as part of the scenery. It is well past time to get rid of them and to clean up the damage they leave behind.

Our children should not have to fear contracting typhus when they walk to school, or have to walk past tents on the sidewalk.

It is not compassionate to let this problem continue festering.

Some things are unacceptable in civilized society. And if we cannot move beyond typhus, we are no longer civilized at all.

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