Excerpt:
"FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- An epidemic of Rocky Mountain spotted fever among several American Indian tribes on two reservations in Arizona has led to more than $13 million in societal costs in nine years, according to a new study...
The study likely underestimates the actual cost of the epidemic because it doesn't include long-term losses from disability and expensive medical procedures, said researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Indian Health Services and the affected tribes.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii bacteria and spread through the bite of an infected tick. The disease has only recently become a serious problem among American Indians in Arizona, according to the researchers. The brown dog tick, known to transmit the bacteria in Arizona, can be carried into homes by untreated dogs and other pets.
The researchers reviewed 205 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever that occurred among members of two tribes hardest hit by the epidemic. These cases occurred between 2002 and 2011. More than 80 percent of the cases required emergency room visits, the study found. about
14 percent of patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 7 percent of patients died..."
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/06/19/tick-infection-epidemic-among-american-indian-tribes-in-arizona-cdc
Post Edited (happyjo) : 6/27/2015 1:37:18 PM (GMT-6)