The first-line treatment for RMSF is 7-14 days of doxycycline for both adults (100 mg BID) and children of all ages. Patients who are severely ill should be hospitalized and given intravenous doxycycline. An added benefit of doxycycline is that it covers other tick-borne organisms with clinical presentations that may be confused with RMSF. Another course of treatment is Chloramphenicol (50-75 mg/kg/day for 7 days) has anti-RMSF activity. However, its efficacy is inferior when compared to doxycycline, it has more side effects, and it has a complex dosing schedule. It is recommended for pregnant patients and those with tetracycline allergies. However, doxycycline should be considered in pregnant patients with severe symptoms.There is no evidence to support the use of post-exposure prophylaxis for (RMSF) (Medley O'Keefe Gatewood, & Mitchell, K., 2014). Preventive measures for Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other tick-borne diseases include: wearing long-sleeved, light colored clothing; wearing long pants and boots; tucking pant legs into boots; checking for tick attachment and removing attached ticks promptly; applying topical insect repellent; and treating clothing with permethrin. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found …show more content…
Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check these parts of your body and your child’s body for ticks: under the arms; in and around the ears; inside the belly button; back of the knees; in and around the hair; between legs; and around the waist. It is also important to check all pets and use vet approved medication for the prevention and killing of fleas and ticks. Ticks like to live in wooded areas, tall grassy fields, areas bordering the woods, and your yard. The disease is most common in the spring and summer when these ticks are most