Spotted fever: Learn how to protect yourself on vacation – 03/07/2023 – Health

Those who choose to spend their July holidays inland, in mountainous areas where there are forests, rivers and lakes, need to be extra careful not to contract spotted fever. Parents should stop children from lying on the grass, for example.

“The tick likes a place of shade, dry leaves and vegetation. The places that border rivers and lakes are more favorable, but not exclusive”, warns the doctor Vera Rufeisen, infectologist at the Vera Cruz Hospital, in Campinas (93 km from São Paul).

The state of São Paulo is endemic for the disease. Data from the Department of Health from January to March 2023 show that Americana, Assis, Campinas, Piracicaba, Santa Bárbara D’Oeste, Sorocaba and Valinhos, in addition to the region of Caraguatatuba, on the north coast of São Paulo, account for most of the cases.

The regions of Campinas and Piracicaba accounted for the most cases in the period — 480 and 193, respectively. Alone, the municipality of Campinas had 114 confirmations of the disease.

The disease is transmitted by ticks infected by the bacteria. rickettsia rickettsiipresent mainly in the star tick, and does not pass from person to person.

“Only 1% of ticks have the bacteria rickettsia rickettsii. The infected tick passes the bacteria to its offspring. We are not going to get away from nature, but it is necessary to bear in mind that if you present a condition with malaise, high fever, headache and body pain, you must immediately tell the doctor the place you visited”, says Rufeisen.

For transmission to occur, the tick needs to be attached to the skin for at least four hours. If there is contact with vegetation, Vera Rufeisen recommends inspecting the body every two hours, looking for bites.

“Depending on the sensitivity, the person may feel itchy one to two hours after the tick has attached itself to the body”, he explains.

“The larval tick, known as micuim, is very small. The adult is more common at the end of the year. The micuim looks like a mole on the skin. So, you need to inspect the body very carefully. The use of vegetal loofah in the bath is excellent, because it removes the [carrapatos] small, which eventually we do not identify”, guides the doctor.

Another concern is the color of the clothes. The ideal is to give preference to light colors, because it makes it easier to see the tick. The use of repellent on the skin and on clothing is recommended, especially for children.

It is also important to choose clothes that cover most of the body, especially legs and feet. One suggestion is to wear a sock over the mouth of the pants, and the pants inside the boot.

“Icaridin-based repellents are reasonably effective. It is a complementary measure. People cannot believe that if they apply the repellent nothing will happen”, says Rufeisen.

For infectologist and epidemiologist Luana Araújo, specialist in infectious diseases at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and master in public health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg University, in the United States, the ideal is to avoid places with a higher risk of catching the disease and which have the vector in an uncontrolled way.

“If it is not possible, it is worth the differentiated behavioral care and the preparation of the health system. The government needs to inform people that that area is at risk”, he reinforces.

“In endemic places, this information is extremely deficient. In addition to the risk places, it is important to teach people what Rocky Mountain spotted fever is, what risk they run and how to protect themselves. Especially in endemic areas, this information needs to be intensified in a direct, clear, accessible and conspicuous way, and not just for the general population. Health professionals themselves need to be better trained”, evaluates the epidemiologist.

According to the doctor, endemic areas appear due to the imbalance of fauna and flora.

“You favor the proliferation of host animals, such as the tick; you favor the tick to proliferate there, which it would not be able to do if that environment was ecologically harmonious. We have more access to these environments and we put ourselves at risk for many diseases. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is just one of them. Start thinking about human health as part of something we call unique health, which is the health of man, animals and the environment at the same time”, concludes the epidemiologist.

Never squeeze the tick

The tick must be removed with the help of tweezers, very carefully. Put it in a glass with alcohol and report it to your city hall. If you pull it out, the suction device can get stuck in the person and that’s where the bacteria is. There is a danger of contamination.