Rocky Mountain spotted fever: “Enjoy nature”, says new warning sign

Sao Paulo-SP) – In the midst of an outbreak of spotted fever in the city, the city hall of Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo, started to install on Friday (23) new informative signs about the disease in green areas.

“Enjoy the nature that Campinas offers”, says the main message of one of these totems, installed in places where pedestrians and vehicles pass by. The alert for prevention only comes below, in smaller letters: “And remember: where there is bush there may be star ticks, transmitters of Rocky Mountain spotted fever”.

The plates were distributed mainly in the districts of Sousas and Joaquim Egídio, where the Santa Margarida Farm is located, the epicenter of the spotted fever outbreak, according to the municipal administration.

According to the mayor’s office, the objective is to “the information can be accessed by the greatest number of people” and the installations should continue on Monday (27). In all, 22 totems are planned.

Message

Not all boards are the same. According to the technical advisor of the Department of Health Surveillance (Devisa), Priscila Bacci Pegoraro, some totems in pedestrian areas have more information, with tips on how to prevent yourself in risk areas, what to do if you find a tick and what measures to take immediate measures should be taken in the face of symptoms of the disease.

On routes for vehicles, signs show “more concise information, so that the driver has time to read it when passing by”.

“This is yet another initiative within the scope of actions against spotted fever developed in the municipality. It is a reinforcement of our policy of communication, information and social mobilization against the disease”

said Devisa’s technical advisor.

The prefecture advises that, after visiting green areas, people observe the whole body. If you find a tick, it must be carefully removed.

In case of symptoms, even without having located ticks, the person should seek medical attention immediately and inform that he/she has been in an area of ​​transmission.

Outbreak in Campinas

Four people who were at Fazenda Santa Margarida, in Campinas, died of spotted fever. The place is pointed out by the Secretary of Health as the focus of the outbreak of the disease.

The four victims went to the scene on May 27, during Feijoada do Rosa, an event that gathered around 3,500 people, with an open bar and electronic music DJs.

There are also reports of cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in people who were at the farm on May 3rd, at a concert by singer Seu Jorge. No deaths from the disease were recorded at this event.

first confirmed case

Dentist and biomedical Mariana Giordano, aged 36, died on the 8th, after being hospitalized with fever, red spots on the skin and headaches, symptoms that began five days earlier.

She and her boyfriend, pilot Douglas Costa, 42, participated in the feijoada. The dentist was hospitalized in São Paulo, where she lived. According to the patient’s reports, she noticed bite marks on her body.

pilot and businessman

Pilot and businessman Douglas Costa, 42, started having symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever on June 3. He was hospitalized on the 7th and died a day later, on the same day as his girlfriend, Mariana Giordano.

Friends defined him as a dreamer and example.

Case treated as dengue

Dentist Evelyn Karoline Santos, 28, resident of Hortolândia, went to more than one hospital, was diagnosed with dengue and was instructed to rest at home.

She was at Feijoada do Rosa with her husband, Marcelo Borges, 38 years old.

He reported to Metrópoles that he was the first of the couple to experience symptoms, but his condition improved after two days of rest. The young woman had to go to the Mario Covas Municipal Hospital, in Hortolândia, on Sunday (4), with pain in her joints and a fever of around 40º C.

16 year old teenager

Teenager Érissa Nicole Santos Santana, 16, was at Fazenda Santa Margarida with her father, Ednaldo Santana, who worked for the organizers of Feijoada do Rosa. She died on the 13th of June.

The cause of death by Rocky Mountain spotted fever was confirmed on Thursday (15).

Father and daughter stayed there for about 30 minutes and did not go through the entrance where, according to other visitors, there were more areas of bush.

Érissa’s father has a company that provides an ambulance with a brigade member for major events. One of his employees, who was at the farm during feijoada, asked him to go to the place to deliver some missing equipment.

*With information from Metrópoles

Read more:

Learn how to avoid contact with the tick that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Capybaras can host star ticks, but they do not transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever; AM does not record cases

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