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We have fleas hopping around outside because of squirrels. DH gets flea bites sometimes, let me look up. Hmm, this unforunate young man was certainly unlucky. Maybe he was mis-treated? Why did he have such horrible complications?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/typhus

any of various bacterial diseases caused by rickettsias: such as
a
: a severe human febrile disease that is caused by one (Rickettsia prowazekii) transmitted especially by body lice and is marked by high fever, stupor alternating with delirium, intense headache, and a dark red rash

https://www.britannica.com/science/typhus
typhus, series of acute infectious diseases that appear with a sudden onset of headache, chills, fever, and general pains, proceed on the third to fifth day with a rash and toxemia (toxic substances in the blood), and terminate after two to three weeks. Typhus (actually not one illness but a group of closely related diseases) is caused by different species of rickettsia bacteria that are transmitted to humans by lice, fleas, mites, or ticks. The insects are carried person to person or are brought to people by rodents, cattle, and other animals. The most important form of typhus has been epidemic typhus (borne by lice). Other forms are murine, or endemic, typhus (flea-borne); scrub typhus, or tsutsugamushi disease (mite-borne); and tick-borne typhus.

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-typhus
Typhus is a disease caused by rickettsia or orientia bacteria. You can get it from infected mites, fleas, or lice.

Modern hygiene has mostly stopped typhus, but it can still happen in places where basic sanitation is bad or if it gets passed on by an infected animal.

There are three main kinds of typhus, each caused by different bacteria.

Murine typhus is passed by fleas to people if the fleas bite infected animals, mainly rats. Most U.S. cases have been reported in California, Hawaii, and Texas.

Epidemic typhus is a rare variety spread by infected body lice. It’s unlikely to happen outside of extremely crowded living conditions. One type of epidemic typhus can be spread by infected flying squirrels. But it, too, is very rare.
Scrub typhus is spread by infected chiggers, or mites, mainly found in rural parts of Southeast Asia, China, Japan, India, and northern Australia.

Doctors can easily treat all three kinds of typhus with antibiotics. But they can cause serious illness, so get treatment right away if you think you might have been exposed to it.

Typhus Treatment
The most effective therapy for all three kinds of typhus is the antibiotic doxycycline.

A single dose of doxycycline has proved effective against epidemic typhus. Doxycycline also works quickly on other strains of the disease.
For the best results, you should take it as soon as possible after your symptoms start.
If you’re allergic to doxycycline or if it doesn’t work, doctors may choose another antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro).