Campinas Surveillance Director, Andrea von Zuben, says that the city is experiencing an outbreak of spotted fever; show was on the same farm as feijoada
The Health Department of Campinas recorded the 5th suspected case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The information was disclosed at a press conference this Wednesday (6/14). According to the director of the city’s Health Surveillance Department, Andrea von Zuben, it is a 38-year-old woman, a resident of Campinas.
She is admitted to a private hospital in the city awaiting diagnosis. The first symptoms began to be registered on June 10.
According to the Surveillance director, the woman was at a concert by Seu Jorge, which took place at Fazenda Santa Margarida, on June 3. The place is pointed out by the Secretary of Health as the “probable focus of infection”.
“Campinas is experiencing an outbreak of spotted fever. We have a farm, called Santa Margarida, responsible for some big events. Two events are being targeted by our work: on the 27th of May there was a feijoada, and on the 3rd of June there was a concert by Seu Jorge, with the participation of 10,000 people”, said Andrea.
The fifth suspected case is the first related to the Seu Jorge show. As the disease takes up to 14 days to manifest, new cases may arise. The event brought together 10,000 people at Fazenda Santa Margarida.
Four of the five suspected cases evolved to death. This Tuesday (13), the Adolfo Lutz Institute confirmed that three people who died on the 8th were victims of spotted fever. The cause of death of a 16-year-old teenager is still being investigated.
Mariana Giordano, 36, Douglas Costa, 42, her boyfriend, and dentist Evelyn Karoline Santos, 28, from Hortolândia, participated in Feijoada do Rosa, on May 27. The three had confirmed the diagnosis of yellow fever.
Teenager Érissa Nicole Santos Santana, 16 years old, accompanied her father who worked at the event. She died this Tuesday and the cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
The Campinas Health Department believes that the contamination occurred inside the parking lot of Fazenda Margarida. “And where there is more forest”, said Andrea.
The Director of Surveillance said that those responsible for the farm should not be held accountable.
“It makes no sense for us to penalize. What happens? They are within a broadcast area. Unfortunately, there were infected ticks there, because it is close to a watercourse, the Atibaia River. We asked them to make a communication plan from now on for the events that will take place there. A very well done plan, with signs”.
The farm announced that it closed its doors for 30 days to comply with city hall recommendations.
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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 such a history, treatment should be started immediately,” says Andrea von Zuben.
The main symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever are:
- Fever;
- 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 inspections on the body in search of ticks at three-hour intervals to reduce the risk of contracting the disease;
- 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 of light clothes to facilitate the visualization and removal of ticks.
