At least three people have died from Rocky Mountain spotted fever [RMSF] in the past five months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in a public alert on Friday.
Five cases of the deadly disease – caused by the bite of an infected tick – have been reported since July in Southern California.
In each case, the patients had been in the Mexican border city of Tecate within two weeks of falling ill, the agency said.
All five patients, three US residents and two Mexican residents, were hospitalized and three died. Four of the patients were minors.
“RMSF is a severe, progressive and often fatal disease that is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick, although many patients do not remember being bitten,” the CDC notice said.
The disease is native to several states north of Mexico along the southern border and parts of the US Southwest.
Five cases of the deadly disease – caused by the bite of an infected tick – have been reported since July in Southern California. Ladislav Kubes
pathogen, Rickettsia rickettsiiusually spread by fleas associated with urban dogs, according to the CDC.
Symptoms can initially appear mild during the first 1-4 days of infection, including “low-moderate fever, headache, gastrointestinal symptoms, abdominal pain, myalgia, rash, and edema around the eyes and back of the hands,” the notice said.
However, after about five days, the CDC says the illness can cause “altered mental status, coma, cerebral edema, respiratory distress, necrosis, and multiorgan system damage.”
Symptoms can initially appear mild during the first 1-4 days of infection, including “low-moderate fever, headache, gastrointestinal symptoms, abdominal pain, myalgia, rash, and edema around the eyes and back of the hands.” Md Babul Hosen
Half of those who died from RMSF did so within 8 days of contracting the disease. In Mexico, the death rate is a staggering 40%, according to the agency.
RSMF can be treated with the antibiotic Doxycycline, which is recommended to be given as soon as possible.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
