Three Dead in California After Contracting Tick Bite Disease
Three residents of the United States have died from Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), a serious tick-borne illness typically found in northern Mexico and near the U.S. border, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Six Californians contracted the disease between July 2023 and January 2024, with ages ranging from 17 months to 65 years, and most being female. All patients had traveled to or lived in Tecate, Mexico, shortly before showing symptoms and had contact with dogs, which can harbor the brown dog tick responsible for the disease.
This recent spike in RMSF cases is unusual, as California typically reports only one case per year based on data from 2011 to 2019. RMSF can be difficult to diagnose due to symptoms that overlap with other diseases, and there is no rapid testing available. If suspected, it requires immediate treatment with doxycycline, an antibiotic, to prevent progression to life-threatening symptoms.
To prevent RMSF and other tick-borne diseases, the CDC recommends wearing protective clothing, using insect repellent, and inspecting for ticks after potential exposure in wooded or grassy areas. Proper tick removal techniques are also advised if one is found on the skin.
Three U.S. residents have died from Rocky Mountain spotted fever — a severe and fatal tickborne disease commonly found in northern Mexico and around the U.S. border, the Centers for Disease Control announced Thursday.
In total, six Californians contracted the disease from July 2023 to January 2024, which is spread by the brown dog tick and free-roaming dogs.
The six patients’ ages ranged from 17 months to 65 years old, and all but one were female.
Each patient had traveled to or lived in Tecate, Mexico, within 8 days of illness onset, and each had come in contact with a dog, the CDC said.
The spike in RMSF cases over the course of six months is unusual. From 2011 – 2019, an average of one case per year was reported in California.
#HCPs: Knowing when to suspect Rocky Mountain spotted fever can mean life or death.
CDC’s updated training module is available. https://t.co/8j1tnWlnEr#Ticks #RMSF pic.twitter.com/3rsTmXgcjo
— CDC (@CDCgov) June 6, 2023
RMSF can be difficult to diagnose, particularly in areas where the disease isn’t commonly found.
Its initial signs and symptoms — including fever, cough or abdominal pain — mimic those of other diseases, making diagnosis even more difficult, according to the CDC.
There is also no way to quickly test whether or not someone is infected.
However, because of how quickly RMSF progresses from moderate to life-threatening symptoms, it must be treated with doxycycline — an antibiotic — as soon as the disease is suspected.
It’s open season for #ticks. Protect yourself from diseases transmitted by tick bites while out #hunting. Wear EPA-registered insect repellant. Learn more: https://t.co/PqMu1nkjdr pic.twitter.com/XNxoDn6xMb
— CDC Emerging Infections (@CDC_NCEZID) September 16, 2024
Ticks in general are known for spreading illnesses like Lyme disease.
Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends a number of ways to prevent tick bites.
Ticks are usually found in grassy, wooded or brushy areas.
If you know you’ll be spending time in areas like that, wear bright colored clothes to more easily spot ticks.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and closed toed shoes, and tuck your pants into your socks, Johns Hopkins suggests.
Insect propellants that have permethrin kill ticks, but they should be sprayed only on clothing, not on your skin.
Check yourself for ticks on all your joints, including between your fingers and toes, behind your knees and under your arms. Ticks can also be found in your belly button, neck, hairline, top of the head and behind the ears.
If you find a tick, don’t remove it with your bare hand. Use tweezers and grab as close to its head and mouth — closest to your skin — as you can. Pull it out slowly and do not twist.
Do not burn it off with fire.
Wash the affected area with soap and water, apply antiseptic lotion, and save the tick for lab testing, if desired.
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