The Minas Gerais State Health Department is investigating deaths from spotted fever in the state. In Jeceaba, in the central region of the state, one death has already been confirmed from the disease and two others are under investigation. The confirmation led the Jeceaba City Hall to adopt prevention and control measures, mainly in areas near a river in the city, where capybaras circulate.
Since Thursday (3), public spaces near possible tick hotspots have been temporarily closed, including sports courts. The city hall also installed signs with guidance for the population and intensified the application of products for tick control in areas where the animals circulate.
Health professionals in the municipality were instructed to be alert to patients with symptoms compatible with the disease and to investigate possible contact with ticks or stay in risky locations. Spotted fever is transmitted by the bite of infected ticks, usually in areas where capybaras are present.
In the state of Minas Gerais, until August of this year, 36 cases of spotted fever were confirmed and 11 deaths from the disease.
