KSWB – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with San Diego County health officials, are warning travelers to northern Mexico and Baja California Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

San Diego Health authorities reported back in November that a San Diego resident had recently died of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and warned the public about the tick-borne disease and traveling to Baja California.

In early December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) followed suit and issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) health alert to health care providers and the public about the outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in travelers to northern Mexico and Tecate, Mexico, including Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Nuevo León, among others in northern Mexico.

The CDC reported in December that five people had been diagnosed with RMSF since July 2023; All of those diagnosed had been in Tecate within two weeks of the onset of their illness. All five people diagnosed with RMSF had gone to hospitals in Southern California; Three of these people died.

The CDC is warning healthcare providers to be alert for RMSF in people who have recently traveled to Tecate, Mexico. In areas like Baja California, Ticks are a danger all year round because dogs can transmit infected ticks.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

People and dogs can become infected with the disease through a tick bite. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is most effectively treated with antibiotics if the diagnosis is made within the first few days.

After five to six days, the illness is likely to progress to more severe symptoms.

The CDC emphasized that RMSF progresses rapidly and half of all people who die from the disease succumb within eight days of becoming infected.

The first symptoms include fever, headache and stomach problems. Therefore, health authorities are warning anyone who has insect bites or has recently traveled to report it to a doctor.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever prevention

The County vector control program monitors ticks, rodents and mosquitoes that can transmit diseases to humans.

There are around 850 different species of ticks worldwide. Ticks can transmit many different diseases including Lyme disease, Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF), 364D Rickettsiosis, Tularemiaand many others, according to CDC.

The CDC has several tips for preventing tick bites on-line.

Anyone who has been bitten by a tick should do this Remove it with tweezers. Tell a doctor that you were bitten, how long the bite lasted, and what part of the world you were bitten. Keep the tick for identification, as only certain ticks carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever.