Authorities in the state desire owners to keep their pets healthy and issue a call for people to seek medical attention for Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Health authorities in Chihuahua, Mexico, issued a warning to residents after learning that 16 people had died from rickettsia in the last few weeks. Half the deaths were in Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
Dr. Gumaro Barrios attributed the deaths to tick bites, though the disease, known in the United States as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, can also be spread by fleas, lice and some mites.
” We want to prevent further fatalities. We urge people to seek medical care as soon as they know they have been ( bitten ) by a tick”, Barrios, head of prevention at the Chihuahua State Health Department, said at an online news conference this week. If a dog has ticks, we as responsible pet owners must take them to the veterinarian for all the care they need. This includes everything from a bath to vaccinations to medication.
Rickettsia or RMSF usually starts with a headache, nausea or stomach pain, Barrios said. The disease’s giveaway consists of dark spots on the skin. If unattended, that can be followed by organ failure.
According to Barrios, 8 out of 10 people who were this year diagnosed with Rickettsia have passed away. That’s an 80 percent mortality rate.
” People are dying because doctors ca n’t treat them until the disease has advanced.” It needs to be caught early. The health official said you need to take preventive measures at home, maintain it, and maintain your pets.
After five Americans who had traveled or had a temporary residence in Tecate, Mexico, were found to have Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory in the country in December.
The CDC said RMSF is “endemic” in the Mexican border states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. It is usually treated with the antibiotic doxycycline. According to the National Institutes of Health, if neglected, the disease has a 20 to 30 % mortality rate in the United States.
