Rickettsial pox is part of the Rickettsial group of bacterial diseases. This type of pox carried by mites on rodents (usually mice), though rare in the United States, has appeared in urban dwellings in New York City and other Eastern cities. The first known victim of this disease was reported on this date in 1946. The patient was Edmund Lohr Jr. of Kew Gardens, Queens, N.Y. (which prompted the disease to be referred to as Kew Gardens spotted fever). The illness is characterized by a rash over the body and limbs, localized inflammation of the lymph glands, and fever. It generally lasts about a week and today is treated with tetracycline.

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