CDC Issues Disease Alert After Deadly Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Outbreak in Mexico
The CDC has issued a disease alert after several cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a tick-borne illness, were reported in Southern California. Five people, including four minors, have been hospitalized, with three deaths. The disease often goes undiagnosed due to its early symptoms being mistaken for common ailments. The CDC recommends treating anyone who has been to northern Mexico recently and exhibits symptoms with the antibiotic doxycycline, without waiting for test results. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is endemic in parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern US, with a higher fatality rate in Mexico compared to the US.