Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Mexico: A Call to Action

Abstract

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is an ongoing public health crisis in Mexico, particularly in states bordering the United States. The national highest incidence and mortality of RMSF occur in this region, resulting in a case-fatality rate that ranges annually between 10% and 50%, primarily affecting vulnerable groups such as children, elderly adults, and persons living in poverty. Multiple biological, environmental, and social determinants can explain its growing presence throughout the country and how it challenges the health system and society. It is necessary to integrate resources and capacities from health authorities, research centers, and society to succeed in dealing with this problem. Through a scientific symposium, a group of academicians, U.S. health officials, and Mexican health authorities met on November 8-10, 2023, in Hermosillo, Mexico, to discuss the current situation of RMSF across the country and the challenges associated with its occurrence. An urgent call for action to improve national capacity against RMSF in the aspects of epidemiological and acarological surveillance, diagnosis, medical care, case and outbreak prevention, health promotion, and research was urged by the experts. The One Health approach is a proven multidisciplinary strategy to integrate policies and interventions to mitigate and prevent the burden of cases, deaths, and suffering caused by RMSF in Mexico.

Figure 1.

Comparison of human incidence of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and spotted fever group Rickettsia in Mexican states bordering the United States (including data from Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon) and in Mexico as a country, 2009–2023. Denominators for population estimates were obtained from the National Population Council of Mexico (population projections 2000–2023).

Figure 2.

A sequence of essentials for the prevention and control of RMSF in Mexico. RMSF = Rocky Mountain spotted fever.