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Leme Confirms Two Brazilian Spotted Fever Deaths as City Tightens Tick Surveillance

Officials are concentrating surveillance on a riverside corridor of capybaras that sustains infected star ticks.

Overview

  • The municipal health department confirmed two fatalities in Leme and activated intensified monitoring, inspections, signage and community outreach.
  • Local officials describe an approximately 5 km river corridor with a dense capybara population as a natural reservoir that maintains transmission risk.
  • Health units and schools are receiving guidance, clinicians are being alerted to recognize cases quickly and teams are inspecting locations tied to suspected exposures.
  • Authorities urge residents to avoid high‑risk vegetation and capybara areas, wear protective clothing, check for and properly remove ticks and seek care promptly if symptoms appear.
  • State data indicate 36 cases and 20 deaths from the disease in São Paulo in 2025, with recent cases in Leme adding to the toll and Salto previously reporting three fatalities.