In Mexico they are asking for treatment after deaths from rickettsia: how it is contracted and who is most affected

Hermosillo, a municipality in the Mexican state of Sonora, has a worrying number of deaths rickettsia.

There are 15 dead which the municipality has recorded through April 29, leaving Sonora as the state with the most cases and deaths from the disease so far this year, with 20 in total.

The mortality rate of the disease in the country thus reached 59%. At the time, most of the victims were men between the ages of 10 and 19, although there were also older people.

In the same week of 2022, Sonora recorded 14 deaths, which is 42.8% more than last year.

Other states, such as Chihuahua and Nuevo León, have also presented deaths from rickettsia: in 2023 there are already 7 deaths in Juárez and at least 6 in Monterrey.

What is rickettsia and how do you get it?

Rickettsia or Rocky Mountain spotted fever it is a disease that dates back to 1909 caused by the microorganism Rickettsia rickettsiia bacterium that is often transmitted to humans through the bite of the American dog tick or the wood tickdepending on the geographical area.

People with the greatest exposure to animals or who own pets are most at risk of contracting it.

Men and women of any age can be infected, although most cases affect people over the age of 15. The highest mortality is recorded in the group of men over 30 years.

Fever usually makes itself felt with a characteristic rash that appears within 6 days of the onset of infection.

According to Elsevier.es, the best preventative measure is to avoid tick-infested regions. If you go to a risk area, it is necessary to use protective clothing and repellents against insects and ticks, applied both on clothing and on exposed parts of the body.

People at risk should carefully examine themselves, their children and pets for ticks after being outdoors during tick season and remove ticks immediately if found.

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The Sonora government health secretary issued a call for attention in which he stressed that, if treated in time, rickettsia can be cured. Otherwise the consequences could be deadly.

According to the institution, attention should be paid to dogs that have ticks on the outside or inside of the ears, on the paws, under the collar, on the back of the head and on the tail.

The main symptoms of rickettsia -indicates the Secretariat- are severe headache, fever, rash, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Sources: Secretaría de Salud del Gobierno de Sonora, MayoClinic, Elsevier (Netherlands-based academic publisher specializing in scientific, technical and medical content).