By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Health officials in Campos dos Goytacazes, in Norte Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro state report the death of a 6-year-old child due to spotted fever.

Image/CIA

Because of this, the Municipal Health Department is carrying out intensive field work to try to identify and combat outbreaks of the star tick, which is responsible for the transmission of the bacteria of the genus Rickettsia, which causes the disease.

According to the City Hall, while working in the Cafuringa community, in the district of Travessão, where the child’s family lives, ticks were found on the walls of the house, debris and even a capybara, which is one of the host animals of the bacteria.

During the work, the teams learned of the death of another two-year-old child, in similar circumstances, at the beginning of last year. But at the time, death was treated as an unknown cause.

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One confirmed case in 2020 and another in 2017 were also registered in different areas. Patients aged 18 and 54 years were treated and recovered.

The Undersecretary of Primary Care, Charbell Kury, explained the scenario of the disease in the city.

“The confirmation of the child’s death from spotted fever took place last weekend. The suspicion is that it is an autochthonous case (transmitted by hosts that live in the region), but there is a possibility that it was due to external contamination. No hypothesis is ruled out. We are investigating,” explains Undersecretary Charbell Kury.

Brazilian spotted fever (BSF)is an acute febrile infectious disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, transmitted by tick bite.

BSF is a rickettsiosis which manifests itself as an acute febrile infectious disease, of variable severity, from mild and atypical to severe forms. It is characterized by an abrupt onset, with nonspecific signs followed by maculopapular exanthema. Early treatment is essential to avoid more severe forms of the disease. In Brazil, mortality rates are high, between 20 and 30%.