How to Prevent Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rocky Mountain spotted fever, an infection caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick, primarily the dog and wood tick in the United States. Despite the name, most cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever occur in the eastern United States. It is the most common rickettsial infection and can be lethal. The following steps will show how to prevent Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Instructions

• 1

  Avoid contact with ticks, including dogs with ticks and tick-infested areas. No effective vaccine for Rocky Mountain spotted fever is available. Doxycycline should be taken for about seven days after the tick is removed as a prophylaxis.

• 2

  Wear light-colored clothing that covers the arms and legs to see ticks more easily. Tuck pant legs inside of socks to keep ticks from crawling up the inside of them. Wear protective gloves while working with your hands. Apply tick-repellents such as diethyltoluamide (DEET) or permethrin to clothing.

• 3

  Search the entire body every three to four hours while in an area with ticks. Ticks prefer to attach themselves in places with hair such as the armpits, groin and scalp. The tick needs to be attached for 6 to 10 hours before it can transmit enough Rickettsia to cause disease.

• 4

  Remove the tick promptly without squeezing it if possible because this can cause the tick to inject more bacteria. Use fine-tip tweezers and grasp the tick by the mouth parts. Pull the tick out with gentle steady pressure. Extract any mouth parts separately if needed.