He got ticks and parasites, but they didn't survive the Montana winters. And the researchers back at the lab were more focused on developing a vaccine than studying parasites. By the mid-1920s, the disease was no longer a threat to life, says Mullen. But today, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is still with us. In Montana the disease afflicts about three to five people every year, according to Jim Murphy, a health specialist with the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
Diagnosis involves a blood test, and antibiotics are used to control it.
Though more vaccine work is under development, no vaccine is currently licensed. The efforts of the early researchers extended way beyond spotted fever. They saw a problem and they tackled it. You are the 1504th person to access this page.