Rocky Mountain spotted fever outbreak in California: 3 deaths

Since December 8, a dangerous outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in southern California has resulted in three deaths. Experts believe that the disease came from Mexico, reports FoxNews.

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A total of five reported cases involved people who had recently traveled to or lived in Tecate, Mexico. All five patients were in Tecate for two weeks.

All were diagnosed in Southern California hospitals between July and December 2023.

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One patient was an adult and four were under 18 years of age, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

Three patients lived in the United States and two were residents of Mexico. Three of these patients died.

Big concerns

RMSF is a severe, rapidly progressive and often fatal disease transmitted through the bites of infected ticks.

The disease is common in several northern Mexican states bordering the United States, including Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon, as well as parts of the southwestern United States.

Dr. Mark Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center, said cases are still isolated, but he has some concerns.

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“What's interesting about these cases is that they're happening in Mexico, and I'm really worried that because of our porous borders, these disease-carrying ticks could be coming into the U.S. with migrants,” he says.

The bacterium that causes fever, Rickettsia rickettsii, is spread by brown dog ticks, which are reddish-brown in color and often found on domestic dogs.

“This is a different tick than the one that causes Lyme disease,” Siegel said. “The dog tick is larger and does not have the characteristic white markings that Texas ticks have.”

The doctor said he diagnosed several cases and treated them effectively and later confirmed the disease through blood tests.

CDC urges health care providers to consider potential RMSF when evaluating patients with fever who have recently arrived from northern Mexico. The standard treatment for patients with this disease is the antibiotic doxycycline.

Hidden Symptoms

RMSF is a "rapidly progressive disease" and is often fatal if not treated early.

In Mexico, the disease's mortality rate may exceed 40%.

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The disease is five times more deadly in young children under 10 years of age compared to adults.

In the first few days, symptoms are usually mild and include headache, mild to moderate fever, abdominal pain, rash, gastrointestinal symptoms, muscle pain and swelling. Despite the name of the disease, not everyone develops the classic “spotty” rash in the first few days.

“The problem is that the symptoms are flu-like and somewhat common, so they can be easily missed,” Siegel warned.

Late symptoms may include mental confusion, coma, brain swelling, organ damage, death of body tissue, and decreased respiratory function.

The CDC encourages health care workers to report all cases to local, state, territorial or tribal health departments. For people who are experiencing symptoms and have recently traveled to northern Mexico City, the CDC recommends that they seek immediate medical attention.

To prevent illness, the CDC recommends treating dogs with an EPA-registered insect repellent, wearing long sleeves and long pants, checking for ticks after outdoor activities, and removing ticks immediately.

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