LANSING, MI (WTVB) – A ten-year-old in Cass County has the state’s first case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever since 2009. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the illness yesterday. It’s caused by bacteria from a tick bite and health officials say the child contracted the disease in the state and probably near home. The child has already been hospitalized and discharged.
Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency Health Officer Rebecca Burns says Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is a very serious bacterial infection which can be fatal in the first eight days of symptons if it is not treated correctly. She says a tick should be removed as soon as it is discovered.
To learn more about the disease, the health department has published a Frequenty Asked Question Sheet on its web site at www.bhsj.org.
