What is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever?

What is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever? Also caused RMSF, it is spread by ticks and is classified as a rickettsiosis, an infection caused by intracellular bacteria. It begins with nonspecific symptoms: a fever and a headache, but it can rapidly progress to a far more severe disease and causes death in up to 25 percent of cases.

The mortality rate can be as high as 25 percent, so it’s important to find out if a patient has the illness quickly. Antibiotics are usually effective at treating it. This video from the Centers for Disease Control discusses how healthcare practitioners can diagnose the disease and can be understood by a lay audience.