Spotted fever has a high lethality rate and reaches 75% in SP

Spotted fever is an infectious disease, caused by bacteria, transmitted by the star tick, popular name of the species. Amblyomma cajennense. It is associated with acute fever and has variable severity.

Muscular fever patients may present mild or severe risk conditions and may have a high fatality rate. Major complications are inflammation of the brain, respiratory failure, paralysis, and kidney failure.

In Brazil, there are two species of this bacterium that are associated with cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever: the Rickettsia rickettsii, analyzed in the North of the state of Paraná and in the states of the Southeast region; and the Rickettsia parkeriwhich has been recorded in environments of the Atlantic Forest, such as Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Bahia and Ceará.

Data from the epidemiological bulletin of the Ministry of Healthindicate an average of 2,433 suspected cases per year, where 2009 and 2019 are the years with the lowest and highest number of notifications.

In the state of São Paulo, in 2022, 62 cases and 47 deaths from the infection were recorded, considering a case fatality rate of 75%. In the previous year, the equivalent was a fatality rate of 57.1%.

According to the Ministry of Health, its main symptoms are fever, severe headache, nausea and vomiting, swelling, diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle pain, redness in the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

_{Amblyomma cajennense (star tick) (Photo: Reproduction/City Hall of Jundiaí)}

The death of dentist Mariana Giordano, due to illness, was confirmed by the Instituto Adolfo Lutz. Two more suspected deaths from the disease are being analyzed by the institute, including that of Douglas Costa, a motorsport driver and Mariana’s boyfriend, and a 28-year-old woman from Hortolândia.

These deaths occurred on the 8th of June. They were all present at the same event held at Fazenda Santa Margarida, in the District of Joaquim Egídio, in Campinas, on May 27th. The site is being analyzed as a likely site of infection.

Featured photo: Amblyomma cajennense (star tick) (Photo: Reproduction/City Hall of Jundiaí)