Definitions

1. noun

A highly infectious disease caused by certain species of Rickettsia bacteria, transmitted to humans by the bites of infected ticks, fleas, or lice, and characterized by fever, headache, and rash.

“The patient’s symptoms included a high fever and rash, and the doctors suspected she had contracted typhus from a tick bite.”

2. noun

A type of epidemic or widespread disease, especially one that has spread rapidly and is difficult to control.

“The outbreak of typhus in the city’s slums led to a massive public health response to contain the disease.”