Mexican health authorities have issued a warning in response to an increase in infections and deaths from tick bites in the northern state of Chihuahua.
Health figures show 16 people have died from rickettsia this year in the state.
Eight of the 10 cases of tick-borne illnesses resulted in deaths in Ciudad Juarez, the border city across from El Paso, Texas.
The city of Chihuahua, the state capital, has reported 18 cases, including six fatalities.
The municipalities of Aquiles Serdán and Meoqui reported one infection each, both resulting in deaths.
Four-year-old Yahir Rivera was recently hospitalized in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez after he was bitten by a tick. Health authorities in Ciudad Juárez, a municipality in the northern state of Chihuahua, have reported eight deaths related to tick bites this year. The state capital, Chihuahua City, recorded six deaths
Friends and family of 4-year-old Yahir Rivera took to Facebook on Thursday to seek potential blood donors. The boy was bitten by a tick and is currently hospitalized in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez.
One of the most recent infections reported was that of four-year-old Yahir Rivera, who is currently hospitalized in a government hospital in Ciudad Juárez.
Friends and family took to Facebook on Thursday seeking blood donors for Rivera, who was diagnosed with rickettsiosis after being bitten by a tick.
The deputy director of the Chihuahua State Health Secretariat, Gumaro Barrios, held a press conference on Tuesday and stressed the importance of “personal care, pet care and home cleaning” to prevent tick bites.
“People have to pay a lot of attention to hygiene, constantly checking to make sure there are no ticks attached,” explained Barrios, while warning that residents do not necessarily need to own pets to attract ticks.
The deputy director of the Ministry of Health of the State of Chihuahua, Gumaro Barrios, offered a press conference this Tuesday to address the danger of tick bites
She urged pet owners to make sure their animals are bathed, take them to the vet to make sure their vaccinations are up to date and that they have medications to make sure they don’t attract ticks.
Barrios said it is also essential to keep homes well maintained by cutting grass, removing items stored outside or inside that are no longer used, and cleaning and patching walls and spraying door and window frames.
‘With these simple measures we can also reduce the incidence and it is very important if we present symptoms to immediately go to our medical (facilities),’ he said.
