Spotted fever: when to be afraid of the disease or not – 06/14/2023 – Equilíbrio

After the outbreak of the coronavirus, any news about the spread of diseases can cause concern. In recent days, at least four people in the state of São Paulo have died from Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a disease caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii, transmitted by some types of ticks. Experts point out, however, that although the fear is valid, the transmission is not generalized and it is enough to be attentive when passing through risk areas.

According to doctors, the disease is common in the Southeast region of the country and in the north of Paraná. At the moment, the points most affected by the contaminated star tick are the macro-region of Campinas and Piracicaba, including places like Jundiaí and Mogi Mirim. Treatment should be immediate, but only those who have symptoms and have visited sites of infection should seek medical attention.

“Spotted fever triggers a severe hemorrhagic syndrome and lethality is high, reaching 50% of cases. The person should not wait for test results to treat”, says Professor Marcos Vinícius da Silva, infectologist and director of the Disease Outpatient Clinic Hospital Emílio Ribas.

When to worry?

According to epidemiologist André Ribas Freitas, professor at the São Leopoldo Mandic college in Campinas, monitoring should be done if the person has visited or plans to go to areas known to harbor ticks of this type.

“If there is a fever, you have to inform the doctor that you have been to these places so that the specialist can introduce the appropriate antibiotic”, he points out.

Freitas says that this information is essential for the correct diagnosis and, consequently, for the care that the disease requires.

“The initial picture can be confused with that of any other disease, it is not very characteristic. It can be confused with dengue, with a slightly stronger flu, with any other viral picture that causes fever”, says the epidemiologist.

How to prevent?

It is important for anyone visiting forested areas, such as country houses or ranches, to be aware. The doctor at Hospital Emílio Ribas recommends wearing light-colored clothes to better visualize the presence of ticks, for example. Anyone who is in green areas (urban or rural) that contain wild animals, such as capybaras, or domestic animals, such as horses and dogs, must use insect repellent. The product helps to repel the tick.

Another tip is to keep your body well covered, with socks over your pants, for example, and apply repellent to your skin and clothes. Silva states that tutors of domestic animals should pay attention to pets, as dogs can carry the tick on family trips.

Freitas points out that, although the tick that transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever mainly attacks capybaras, horses and mammals, it can also be on birds.

“When in these areas, it is very important to do an inspection when you leave the place to see if you find a tick and remove it. Another option is to use acaricidal soap, which is a soap that can kill the tick. They are the ones they use for lice, for scabies” , says the epidemiologist.

What are the symptoms and treatment?

Treatment is with antibiotics such as tetracycline and chloramphenicol and should be sought as soon as symptoms appear, usually between the 7th and 14th day after the bite.

The picture includes high fever, body pain, severe headache, malaise, reddish spots on the body and purple spots. Worsening occurs around the fourth or fifth day.

“That’s when the first hemorrhagic phenomena appear, the spots on the skin, jaundice. But when you’re in this phase, the treatment is much less effective, so it’s important that it be done still in the initial frame, when the symptoms are nonspecific”, reinforces Freitas .

Experts also point out that all ages are subject to developing the most lethal version.

“Spotted fever is a serious disease in all age groups, so much so that the people who are dying are young and previously healthy. It is not a disease that is characterized by a specific group that is more vulnerable”, he says.

How is it broadcast?

The main ticks that transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Brazil are Amblyomma cajennense (star tick), Amblyomma cooperi (dubitatum) and Amblyomma aureolatum (yellow dog tick). The most pronounced transmission phase occurs in its larval phase, which occurs between autumn and spring.

In the interior of São Paulo, the disease is more associated with the star tick, which lives in forest areas and along riverbanks. Only ticks infected by the bacteria are capable of transmission. As the tick is a parasite of wild and domestic animals, the problem can occur both in rural and urban areas, in addition to spreading as the species without the bacteria bite infected animals.