Rocky Mountain spotted fever and the san carlos apache tribe: The results of the rodeo project

Since 2003, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), a tick-borne disease caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii, has emerged as a significant public health threat on the San Carlos Indian reservation. From 2005 to 2011, over 77 cases of RMSF with five deaths have been reported. Surveillance data generated from March 21 to June 27, 2012 uncovered 460 suspected cases of RMSF; 259 of these were children. On average San Carlos experiences 5 RMSF cases each day. In 2012 the tribe worked with Federal, State and private partners to launch the RMSF Rodeo Project, a pilot intervention project addressing the many causes of RMSF transmission. The project included: 1) treating community dogs with a long-acting tick collar; 2) applying pesticide treatments to yards; 3) no-cost spay/neuter clinics; and 4) encouraging pet restraint. About 98% of homes in the selected neighborhood participated in the pilot. At the project's conclusion almost all dogs (99.18%) at RMSF Rodeo houses were tick-free compared to dogs in the non-intervention area (36.08%). Numbers of trapped brown dog ticks in the RMSF Rodeo area decreased to zero at project conclusion, whereas the non-intervention area experienced increasing numbers through August. More (73.78%) RMSF Rodeo dog owners reported restraining their dogs always or sometimes vs. non-intervention dog owners (54.98%, P <0.001). RMSF Rodeo dog owners reported some or all of their eligible dogs were spayed (41.04%) or neutered (30.54%), compared to owners in non-intervention homes (11.43% and 24.68%, P <0.001 and P <0.001). On the San Carlos Apache Tribe reservation the unchecked dog population, poor infrastructure and lack of healthcare left the Apache people vulnerable to disease. The project proved highly successful; by designing a small and well-scaled pilot project that the tribe could expand, it is hoped that Rocky Mountain spotted fever in eastern Arizona will be significantly reduced.