Little Jonathan Luiz Campagna contracted Rocky Mountain spotted fever – his furious family say medical professionals failed him after they visited hospital a number of times
Jonathan Luiz Campagna contracted a rare disease(Image: Newsflash)
An eight-year-old boy has died after being bitten by a tick and contracting a deadly disease.
The devastated family of an eight-year-old boy say he could have been saved after he tragically died from a deadly disease.
Little Jonathan Luiz Campagna sadly passed away on January 14 after he had rapidly deteriorated following a bite from a tick. The bite led to Jonathan contracting Rocky Mountain spotted fever. After being taken for medical care several times and receiving different diagnoses, doctors were unable to save the boy.
Following Jonathan’s death at Santa Casa hospital in Araras, a city in the Sao Paulo state of Brazil, his furious relatives have filed a police report. They have demanded an investigation into the treatment he received and have alleged there were failures during Jonathan’s previous visits to hospital.
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The US Centres for Disease Control says the most common symptoms include a headache, fever and rash. There is no vaccine, and it can be deadly if it is not treated early.
Doctors say the vague symptoms mean it can be hard to spot early on, and it can often be confused with other viral illnesses.
Typically, the disease is spread through the bite of infected ticks, which may be carried on animals, including dogs and horses.
Jonathan lived in the Vila Dona Rosa Zurita neighbourhood. His family says this area contains a number of risk zones, with areas having tall grass and vegetation where ticks can lurk
But officials say it is not possible to determine where Jonathan was infected by the bite, and the urgent care unit that treated the child said his care followed national and state protocols. They also say
The urgent care unit involved, run by Sao Leopoldo Mandic, said the unit that cared for the boy said doctors followed national and state protocols. They also said the case underwent an internal review in line with medical and regulatory standards.
The unit also stressed that early spotted-fever symptoms may look like other illnesses.
The city hall in Araras said health professionals in both public and private networks had received guidance reinforcing protocols for suspected spotted fever and urged residents to tell doctors if they have recently been in green or rural areas when seeking treatment.
Officials in Araras also confirmed a second child – a nine-year-old girl – died from spotted fever in January, with authorities saying her infection may have occurred in a green area of the Jardim Aeroporto district.
State epidemiology teams are expected to carry out wider assessments across the city.
