Rocky Mountain spotted fever kills people who could have been saved — and the most preventable reason for those deaths is a waiting game. Patients wait for a definitive sign. Physicians wait for a diagnostic test result. And in a disease where each day of delay meaningfully increases the probability of death, that wait has consequences.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a bacterial disease spread through the bite of an infected tick. The disease can rapidly progress to a serious and life-threatening illness. A rash is a common sign of RMSF. It usually develops 2 to 4 days after fever begins — not at the beginning of illness.
