Beware of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Likely cause of toddler’s death, Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases will increase as weather warms up

Experts have already warned that the tick population is expected to surge during the summer of 2017, and with that, the potential for Lyme disease isn’t all there is to worry about.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is also transported to humans via an infected ticks’ bite, specifically the American dog tick, the brown dog tick, and the Rocky Mountain tick.

Devastating news coming from the Midwestern state of Indiana reports that Rocky Mountain spotted fever was likely the cause of tragic and untimely death of a toddler after she was misdiagnosed several times.

Kenley Ratliff, a 2-year-old girl from Indianapolis, was given multiple antibiotics due to her misdiagnoses, and by the time the suspected Rocky Mountain spotted fever was pinpointed as the likely cause of her illness, it was too late to save her.

“Because they had already given her so many antibiotics, they had to wait to give her the antibiotic to treat Rocky Mountain spotted fever,” Kenley’s aunt, Jordan Clapp, told CNN. “By then, her brain was so swollen from the weeklong fever. She was brain-dead before they could give her the (right) antibiotic.”

The cause of the girl’s death has not been confirmed yet, and an autopsy will be done within the next week.

Like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever often presents itself with symptoms mimicking other infections and can be difficult to diagnose. The tell-tale identifying rash associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever appears two to five days after a fever is present. Not all people infected with RMSF even develop a rash, delaying the ability to properly diagnose the infection as well as administer the proper potentially life-saving treatment.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a serious illness that can be fatal in the first eight days of symptoms being present if not treated correctly.

“Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks,” Catseye Pest Control specialist Paul Dube said. “Like its name insinuates, it was discovered in the Rocky Mountains but it is commonly seen in the Southeast United States, as well as in Canada, Mexico, all the way through Central America and into South America.”

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever typically starts as a sudden, high fever with accompanying headache. Because early symptoms tend to be non-specific, or related to other infections, it is likely that multiple doctor visits occur before the diagnosis of Rocky Mountain spotted fever is made. It is important to let your physician know if you could have potentially come into contact with a tick.

 Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever include:

• High fever

• Headache

• Abdominal pain

• Loss of appetite

• Vomiting

• Muscle fatigue and pain

• Rash (2 to 5 days after fever begins)

 If you plan to be outdoors this summer, use this advice to prevent tick bites and possible infection:

• Wear light-colored long sleeves and pants when outdoors, especially in heavily wooded areas for long periods of time.

• When hiking through the woods, remember to walk in the center of trails to avoid ticks.

• Use repellents with DEET on exposed clothing and skin when outdoors.

• Use preventative tick medications on pets (after you consult your veterinarian).

• Fully inspect clothing and your body once you come indoors (using a sticky lint roller is a great way to check clothing before coming indoors).

• Check places such as behind the ears, on the scalp, and in the armpits and groin.

• Keep the grass on your property cut low.

• Remove woodpiles and access weeds from your yard.

If you do find that you’ve been bitten by a tick, remove it as soon as possible following the best practices found here and seek medical attention as soon as possible.