In recent weeks, several cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever have started to appear in Brazil. The disease is caused by bacteria of the genus Rickettsia, transmitted by the bite of the tick-star.
According to the State Department of Health of São Paulo, 62 cases of the disease were registered in Brazil in 2022. Of these patients, 44 died. That is, the mortality rate reached 74.6%.
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As disclosed by Ministry of Health, until the closing of this text, 53 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever have been recorded in the country and eight confirmed deaths. All deaths were in the Southeast region: six in São Paulo, one in Minas Gerais and one in Rio de Janeiro.
What are the symptoms of spotted fever?
These are the main symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever:
- Fever;
- Severe headache;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Diarrhea and abdominal pain;
- Persistent muscle pain;
- Swelling and redness on the palms and soles of the feet;
- Gangrene (tissue death) in the fingers and ears;
- Paralysis of the limbs, starting in the legs and progressing to the lungs, leading to respiratory arrest.
It is worth emphasizing that the patient should urgently seek a health unit as soon as they experience the first symptoms, so that the treatment is as effective as possible.
What is the treatment for Rocky Mountain spotted fever?
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is treated with the administration of antibiotics, which should be done soon after confirming the diagnosis.
However, there is a difficulty in discovering the disease, since the symptoms can be confused with those of other diseases, such as dengue and even a virus.
Normally, the treatment lasts seven consecutive days and, in some cases, the patient needs to be hospitalized.
People contracted disease at party
The current state of alarm in relation to Rocky Mountain spotted fever began after an outbreak of the disease in Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo.
Mariana Giordano, 36, Douglas Costa, 42 and Evelyn Karoline, 28, contracted the disease after participating in the Feijoada do Rosa party, on May 27, which took place in a rural area of the city. The information was published on the Metrópoles website.
Teenager Érissa Nicole Santos Santana, 16, accompanied her father, who worked at the event, and apparently was also contaminated. She passed away, but the cause of death has not yet been confirmed by the authorities.
According to the Campinas Health Department, the contamination could have happened inside the parking lot of Fazenda Margarida, where the party took place. The site closed its doors for 30 days to comply with the recommendations of the municipal health authorities.
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.