Campinas records new death from Rocky Mountain spotted fever – 08/23/2023 – Health

The Campinas Municipal Health Department confirmed this Wednesday (23) the death of a 52-year-old resident from Rocky Mountain spotted fever. With this case, the city reaches eight confirmed records of the disease, six of them fatal, since the beginning of the year.

According to the city hall, the victim began to show symptoms on July 17 and death occurred shortly afterwards, on the 21st. .

Municipal management claims that the park is properly signposted and reinforces the importance of the population respecting the notices and not having contact with the vegetation. “The regulars should be aware of the recommended measures, such as body inspection and observation of symptoms.”

The municipality also says that all spaces accessed by the population regularly receive maintenance and mowing, and that Health has carried out constant prevention activities, including lectures, home visits and inspections in likely places of infection.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever profiles in Brazil

The country has three profiles of spotted fever. The first is predominant in the Southeast region, has the bacteria R. rickettsii as an etiological agent and the vector is the tick Amblyomma sculptum (also known as Amblyomma cajennense or star tick).

In this profile, it is common for capybaras to host the tick, although horses can also play this role. The risk of infection is associated with activities in rural areas, such as fishing, camping and visiting farms.

The second profile is predominant in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, especially in urban areas adjacent to high-altitude Atlantic Forest fragments. The R. rickettsii is also the etiological agent, but the vector is the tick Amblyomma aureolatum.

In this profile, dogs and cats with free access to the Atlantic Forest fragments are parasitized by adult stages of A. aureolatum and take the ticks home, exposing mainly children and women to the disease.

In the third profile, Rocky Mountain spotted fever occurs due to infection by R. parkeri strain Atlantic Forest and cases are registered predominantly in areas of Atlantic Forest in the South, Southeast and Northeast regions. Here, the vector is the tick Amblyomma ovale.

Symptoms and Symptoms of Spotted Fever

When passing through areas of vegetation, especially those close to water courses, where horses and capybaras are present, it is necessary to be attentive, for about 15 days, to the symptoms of the disease: fever, headache, intense pain in the body, malaise -being generalized, nausea, vomiting and, in some cases, red spots on the body.

If signs appear, you should immediately go to the health service and inform them that you had contact with the tick and/or have been to risky places, as the symptoms can be confused with other acute febrile diseases, such as Covid-19 and dengue.