GALVESTON, Texas – Typhus cases are on the rise in Texas with 17 people sick in Galveston this year alone.

Researchers said the number of cases in Galveston County has already reached the total from last year.

Typhus is a rarely fatal disease, but people can become extremely sick with pain and fever. Infectious disease experts warn this could be the tip of the iceberg.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, typhus fevers can spread to humans through fleas, lice and chiggers. Common symptoms include fever, headaches, chills, achy muscles, nausea, vomiting and occasionally rashes.

Typhus was common in the U.S. through the 1940s, but there were less than 100 cases reported nationwide by the mid-1950s.