PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

North Carolina Confirms DHHS First Spotted Fever Death Since 2009
Name Date County or District Name Email Address

Raleigh, N. C. - The N. C. Department of Health and Human Services reported today that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seems to have verified the Buncombe Local baby's passing away in early July seemed to be caused by Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). The following signifies the initial verified passing away as a result of RMSF in North Carolina since 2009. Although fatalities produced by tick-borne ailment tend to be uncommon, RMSF may be the most commonly noted tick-borne illness within the state. In 2012, there have been an overall of 598 possible and laboratory-confirmed incidents associated with RMSF documented from 78 areas throughout the state. For the five-year span from 2008-2012, the cumulative overall of two, 044 incidents had been documented from 93 counties. North Carolina and Oklahoma are classified as the states with the largest amounts of documented RMSF incidents in accordance with the human population annually. "This fatality can be described as heartbreaking reminder that ticks within our state may hold harmful as well as possibly deadly diseases, " said State Health Director Laura Gerald. "Transmission of RMSF coming from a tick can occur rapidly following a bite; therefore the easiest method to avoid any tick-borne disease would be to reduce the chance for vulnerability. " RMSF is usually a result of infection with the bacterial organism Rickettsia rickettsii, and is carried from the bite of a contaminated American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis). Individuals generally become sick around 3-14 days after the bite of any contaminated tick. Among tickborne diseases in the United States, RMSF includes one of the largest dangers of death. While the illness may commonly be taken care of with antibiotics, 3 to 5 percent regarding incidents documented in the United States in recent years are generally deadly. Based on the CDC, important signs and symptoms associated with RSMF are usually fever, muscle discomfort, headache and rash. Country wide, as much as 20 percent of documented incidents become ill enough to become hospitalized. A few early indicators, including fever and muscle discomfort, resemble those with the flu. ###