São Paulo – A 16-year-old teenager hospitalized in Campinas with suspected Rocky Mountain spotted fever died on Tuesday night (6/13). The young woman was also at the same event as the three people who died on Thursday (8), victims of the disease.
Confirmation of the teenager’s death from Rocky Mountain spotted fever awaits the result of the analysis of the biological samples sent to the Instituto Adolfo Lutz.
This Tuesday, deaths from Rocky Mountain spotted fever were confirmed for Mariana Giordano, 36, Douglas Costa, 42, her boyfriend, and a 28-year-old resident of Hortolândia.
Everyone participated in a feijoada, on May 27, at Fazenda Santa Margarida (pictured in the photo), in Campinas. The event was attended by 3,500 people, according to the organizers.
The teenager had been hospitalized since the 9th. According to the city hall, the family only informed that the young woman participated in the event after seeing the repercussions of the spotted fever outbreak in the city.
“The case appears to be an outbreak of spotted fever”, said the City Hall of Campinas after disclosing the investigation of a new case. The district of Joaquim Egídio is mapped as a risk area for the disease.
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No events
The city of Campinas informed that Fazenda Santa Margarida, indicated as the place where people contracted the disease, will only be able to hold new events when it presents an environmental and communication contingency plan.
Those responsible for the place were notified about the importance of signage regarding the risk of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, according to the municipal administration.
In the next few days, technicians will carry out a survey to check the tick infestation (acarological survey) in the space.
“This information is essential for the person to adopt safe behaviors when attending these spaces and also so that, after attending, if they show signs and symptoms, they can inform the doctor and facilitate the diagnosis”, says the city hall.
Accountability
The event space, however, makes the municipal administration responsible for the control and prevention of the disease.
In a statement, the farm says it complies with “sanitary surveillance standards” and follows “a rigorous process of maintenance and care in relation to the space and its conservation”.
“This disease is considered a zoonosis, that is, a disease that can be transmitted between animals and humans. It should be noted that the responsibility for the control and prevention of spotted fever is attributed to the municipality, as established by the relevant legislation”, states
The farm argues that the rural region of Campinas “always presented cases of spotted fever”. The infectious disease is caused by the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii, transmitted to humans by some species of ticks.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is curable, but treatment needs to be started early with appropriate antibiotics. The main symptom of the disease is high fever, which can be confused with other illnesses.
“Therefore, it is important that the doctor always asks, or that the patient reports that he has been in a vegetation area with the presence of ticks or capybaras. With this history, treatment should be started immediately”, says Andrea von Zuben, director of the Department of Health Surveillance (Devisa), in Campinas.
