Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) cases linked to travel to Tecate, Mexico; Travel notice issued
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) cases linked to travel to Tecate, Mexico; Travel notice issued
Five patients have been diagnosed with confirmed RMSF since late July 2023; all had travel to or residence in Tecate within 2 weeks of illness onset
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a health advisory Friday concerning an outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) among people in the United States with recent travel to or residence in the city of Tecate, state of Baja California, Mexico.
As of December 8, 2023, five patients have been diagnosed with confirmed RMSF since late July 2023; all had travel to or residence in Tecate within 2 weeks of illness onset.
All patients presented to hospitals in southern California. Four patients were under the age of 18 years. Three patients were U.S. residents, and two were residents of Mexico. All five patients were hospitalized, and three died.
RMSF is endemic in urban areas of several states of northern Mexico, including but not exclusive to Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Nuevo León.
Rocky Mountain Spotted fever (RMSF) is a tick borne disease caused by the organism, Rickettsia rickettsii.
RMSF is NOT spread from a person to another person.
Typically, the progress of the disease is a sudden onset of high fever, deep muscle pain, severe headache and chills. A rash usually appears on the extremities within 5 days then soon spreads to palms and soles and then rapidly to the trunk.
The disease is rapidly progressive, and half of all people who die from this disease succumb within 8 days of illness onset. Untreated disease is often fatal, and the case fatality rate of RMSF in Mexico can exceed 40%.
Children younger than 10 years old are five times more likely than adults to die from RMSF.
Death is uncommon with prompt recognition and treatment.
The absence or delayed appearance of the typical rash or the failure to recognize it, especially in dark-skinned people cause a delay in diagnosis and increased fatalities. Early stages of RMSF can be confused with erlichiosis, meningococcal meningitis and enteroviral infection.
Doxycycline is the recommended antibiotic treatment for RMSF in adults and children of all ages, including pregnant women.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and the importance of timely treatment with doxycycline
Concerning prevention, CDC says you can protect yourself by:
Using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellants on exposed skin and clothing.
Checking your body, your child’s body, and clothing for ticks daily while traveling to the impacted areas.
If you find a tick on your body, remove it as soon as possible.
Ticks can be tiny and their bites may be painless, so you may not always notice a tick bite.
If traveling with your dog, you can protect yourself and your dog by using tick-preventatives on your dog. Talk to your vet for further guidance.
RMSF can be deadly. Seek medical attention if you or a family member has traveled to Tecate or another city in northern Mexico and develops symptoms during travel or within 2 weeks of returning to the United States.