The child dies after contracting spotted fever in Limeira; This is the first case in the city.

The death of a four-year-old girl with tick-borne spotted fever in Limeira (SP) was confirmed. This is the first case recorded this year in the county.

The child died on May 20 and, after the examinations on June 20, the cause of death was confirmed.

The case may have been imported from the city of Americana (SP), since the girl's father allegedly fished in that area and the city has already recorded seven cases of deaths due to the disease.

According to the municipality of Limeira, several measures are taken all year, particularly alert in risk areas (areas with lakes, streams, rivers etc., and the presence of capybaras). Another measure is the formation of public and private health care network for the differential diagnosis and the immediate appearance of treatment to avoid complications.

The last case recorded at Americana, a 37-year-old man living in the Antônio Zanaga neighborhood, was on the banks of the Atibaia River, where the capybaras live, the star-tick's main host who transmits the disease. Last month, the prefecture of Americana had confirmed that the purple fever was the cause of the death of a 7-year-old girl living in the same neighborhood.

The other five deaths occurred in May and all victims lived in the same area. The municipality is still investigating whether the fever caused the death of two other people, including a two-year-old child. The city government has banned 15 areas where the tick-star has been detected, including tourist sites in the city, such as Praia dos Namorados, Azul Praia, Prainha do Zanaga and fishing boats on the river Piracicaba. The plates installed in these places warn people not to enter the areas, because of the risk of catching the disease.

In the quarry, in the same area, two deaths from purple fever were confirmed. The victims are a 60-year-old woman and a 17-year-old woman. The two were reportedly infected while they frequented a lake on private property in Jardim Andrade. The mayor has installed signs at the access and on the banks of the Jaguari River, warning of the risk.

Spotted fever is an acute febrile infectious disease, caused by the bacterium Rickettsia ricketsii, transmitted to humans through tick bites, especially the star. There is no direct transmission between humans. In 93% of cases, the patient needs to be hospitalized and, in 64% of cases, the disease progresses to death, according to a study by the Department of Public Health. Last year, 14 cases and 9 deaths of the disease were reported in the state. In 2016, there were 64 cases and 37 deaths.

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