São Paulo – The Center for Epidemiological Surveillance (CVE) of the State Department of Health confirmed this Friday (6/16) yet another case of spotted fever in São Paulo, this time of a woman who was at Seu Jorge’s concert, in June 3, in Campinas.
The 38-year-old woman is a resident of the city and attended the event held at Fazenda Santa Margarida, the site identified as the focus of the spotted fever outbreak in the region. This is the first confirmed case at Seu Jorge’s show.
Four people who were at another event held at the venue, Feijoada do Rosa, on May 27, had confirmed deaths from the disease.
According to the city of Campinas, the patient who had the confirmed diagnosis started showing symptoms on the 10th and was hospitalized on the 13th of June. She remains hospitalized, according to the São Paulo government.
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Cases
At least 21 suspected cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever are under investigation, this Friday afternoon (16/6), in the cities of Jundiaí, Itupeva, Santa Isabel and Americana. Of these, five are from people who were at an event at Fazenda Santa Margarida
Earlier, there was confirmation of the death of another 58-year-old woman, a resident of Americana, from Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The case took place on June 8 and is unrelated to the outbreak in Campinas.
As a result, São Paulo reached 19 confirmed cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in 2023, with nine deaths. The disease is not yet in its period of greatest incidence, from August to November, and the statistics are pulled by Campinas.
In 2022, 63 cases were registered, with 44 confirmed deaths. Already in 2021, there were 87 cases and 48 deaths.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii, which is transmitted by some species of ticks. The infection has a high lethality rate, but it is curable. Treatment should be started early with specific antibiotics.
Symptoms
- Severe headache;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Diarrhea and abdominal pain;
- constant muscle pain;
- Swelling and redness on the palms and soles of the feet;
- Gangrene in the fingers and ears;
- Paralysis of the limbs that starts in the legs and goes up to the lungs causing respiratory arrest.
- In the evolution of the disease, the appearance of red spots on the wrists and ankles is also common, which do not itch, but can increase towards the palms of the hands, arms or soles of the feet.
How is the transmission?
The transmission of the disease occurs in wild environments, where the Amblyomma cajennense tick, popularly known as the star tick, exists. For transmission to occur, the tick must remain attached to the skin for a period of about 4 hours.
How to protect yourself:
When hiking and outdoor leisure activities, some precautions must be taken to avoid Rocky Mountain spotted fever:
- Avoid walking, sitting and lying on lawns and in areas of known tick infestation;
- In wild areas, perform body checks for ticks at three-hour intervals to decrease the risk of contracting ticks.
illness; - If ticks are found on the body, do not crush the tick with your fingernails, as it can release bacteria and infect body parts with lesions;
- If you find the parasite, it must be removed lightly with twists and with the help of tweezers, avoiding contact with the nails. The faster they are removed, the less chance of infection;
- Use physical barriers, such as long pants, with the bottom inside the boots or thick socks; Use light-colored clothes to facilitate the visualization and removal of ticks.
