Short Wave Stopping A Deadly Disease On Apache Lands
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Feb 12, 2025 
Pien Huang, an NPR science correspondent, shares insights on the battle against Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. The community faced alarming infection rates, but thanks to strategic health initiatives, they've reported no deaths in five years. Pien discusses the disease's deadly nature, symptoms, and the vital role of the unique brown dog tick. The success story highlights the importance of collaboration between health officials and local tribes in combating this tick-borne illness.
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RMSF Origins and Early Control
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is a deadly tick-borne disease, first seen in Montana in the late 1800s.
- Early attempts to control ticks, like arsenic baths for cattle, proved harmful and ineffective.
Ticks and RMSF Transmission
- RMSF is transmitted by different tick species across the US; the American dog tick in the East, Rocky Mountain wood tick in the West.
- The disease targets blood vessel linings, causing a rash and internal bleeding if left untreated.
Arizona RMSF Outbreak
- The first RMSF cases in Arizona were a mystery 20 years ago because the known tick vectors weren't present.
- Investigations revealed the brown dog tick, previously a vector in Mexico, was spreading RMSF among reservation dogs and children.