The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory today to notify clinicians and the public about an outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) among people in the United States with recent travel to or residence in the city of Tecate, state of Baja California, Mexico.
RMSF is a rapidly progressive disease and without early administration of doxycycline can be fatal within days. It is transmitted by the bite of infected ticks, although many patients do not recall being bitten. RMSF is endemic in multiple border states in northern Mexico, including but not exclusive to Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo León.
Healthcare providers should consider RMSF in their differential diagnosis of patients who have reported recent travel to Tecate, Mexico, or other areas of northern Mexico and subsequently develop signs or symptoms of an unexplained severe febrile illness. CDC recommends providers initiate doxycycline based on presumptive clinical and epidemiologic findings and to not delay treatment pending the result of a confirmatory laboratory test.
