Campinas City Hall investigates sixth case of spotted fever in the city

This Wednesday afternoon (14), another suspected case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever was reported in Campinas, the sixth so far.

The victim is a 40-year-old woman, resident of Hortolândia, who was in Campinas for the event on May 27 at Fazenda Santa Margarida, in the district of Joaquim Egídio. She presented symptoms on June 10 and is still hospitalized in a private hospital in Campinas, awaiting the result of the laboratory test.

So far, six cases have been registered, three confirmed and three suspected. Of the total, four people died and two remain hospitalized.

The case of the other patient who remains hospitalized was notified this Wednesday morning, and she is a 38-year-old woman who attended an event at the same farm on June 3rd and started showing symptoms on the 10th. a hospital in Campinas and awaits confirmation of laboratory tests.

The three deaths confirmed by the Adolfo Lutz Institute for Rocky Mountain spotted fever are dentist Mariana Giordano, 36, motor racing driver Douglas Costa, 42, Mariana’s boyfriend, and a 28-year-old woman from Hortolândia. The three died on June 8.

The fourth death, still under investigation, is of a 16-year-old teenager, who was hospitalized in Campinas. She died on Tuesday night (13). According to the city hall, the four people were at Fazenda Santa Margarida on May 27th.

coping with the disease

The City Hall of Campinas announced a set of measures to combat Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The Campinas region is endemic for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, with the highest record of cases in Brazil.

“We are making a great effort, bringing together different areas of the city hall and representatives of public and private health, to increasingly minimize the risk of spotted fever. The disease has symptoms very similar to other diseases, such as dengue, for example. That’s why it’s important to communicate the risks, symptoms and guide people to inform doctors that they’ve been in green areas”, said Mayor Dário Saadi.

At the end of the morning, there was a meeting between City Hall and public and private health services in the municipality. According to the city hall, a decree will be published in the coming days with rules for establishments that hold events for large audiences and that are in risk areas or with the presence of the star tick.

As of this Wednesday (14), a decision by the Department of Health Surveillance (Devisa) will take effect so that every risk area for spotted fever has information about the disease, with posters, banners, plaques and other devices to risk communication.

According to the city hall, Santa Margarida Farm will only be able to hold new events when it presents an environmental and communication contingency plan. In addition, those responsible for the site were notified about the importance of signage regarding the risk of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

How to prevent Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Endemic disease in the Southeast

Brazilian spotted fever, caused by the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii is the most important disease transmitted by ticks in the country, being endemic in the Southeast region, where case fatality rates exceed 50%, according to the Ministry of Health.

In the context of epidemiology, the term “endemic” describes the constant or habitual presence of a disease or agent causing infection in a given population within a geographic area.

Caused by bacteria of the Rickettsia genus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an infection that can lead to inflammation of blood vessels, with conditions that can be mild to severe. The varied clinical presentation, with nonspecific signs and symptoms similar to many other diseases, can lead to a delay in diagnosis, increasing the risk of death.

In Brazil, spotted fever was first recognized in 1929 and was initially observed in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, mainly in rural areas, according to the Ministry of Health. Subsequently, there were reports of cases in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Bahia. In 2001, the infection was included in the list of notifiable diseases in the country.

*With information from Lucas Rocha, from CNN