53-Year-Old Man Dies of Tick-Borne Typhus: He Thought It Was COVID

Barak Ben-Noy, a 53-year-old artist from Pardes Hanna, died from complications of tick-borne typhus. After feeling ill about three weeks ago, he assumed he had contracted the coronavirus and did not go to see a doctor.

His wife Mati suggested that it was tick-borne typhus – she suffered from this disease 15 years ago, and drew attention to the similarity of symptoms. Barack confirmed that he was recently bitten by a tick while doing gardening, the Channel 12 news website reported.

The couple decided to come to the hospital emergency room; upon examination, the man was found to have a rash and spots on his legs. He was given antibiotics, but further examination showed that the causative agent of the disease was more dangerous. Barak Ben-Noy received painkillers and was kept under observation. Soon his condition worsened.

His wife Mati, at her husband’s request, left, deciding to come visit him the next day, but 20 minutes later she received a call and was informed that he had been put into a medically induced coma and connected to an artificial respiration apparatus. Returning to the hospital, she saw that her husband had severe swelling and was put on kidney dialysis due to kidney failure. He called his son in Costa Rica to say goodbye. Barack died a few hours later. The wife of the deceased calls on all Israelis to be more attentive to their health and be sure to consult a doctor and undergo check-ups.

Tick-borne typhus is a bacterial disease also called boutonnese fever, Mediterranean spotted fever, Israeli typhus, and tick-borne rickettsiosis. The causative agent of this disease is the gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium Rickettsia conorii. The disease is transmitted mainly in the summer months as a result of tick bites on animals. For a tick to transmit bacteria, it must be on the human body for at least 12 hours.

After 12 hours of a tick’s presence on a person, the incubation period for bacteria begins; it may take two weeks for symptoms to appear. The main symptoms of the disease are headache and muscle pain; there is also a reddish rash with red dots and spots; in 10% of patients, the rash is accompanied by bleeding.

Before the rash appears, the symptoms may resemble a coronavirus infection. However, the rash appears in only a third of cases. The disease is treated with certain antibiotics. When diagnosing, a person is asked whether they have dogs or cats and whether they have been bitten by ticks. If treatment is not started in time, the disease can be fatal, depending on the reaction of the patient’s immune system.

The disease is typical for the end of spring and summer. It is important to see a doctor if the following symptoms appear simultaneously: high temperature, headache, pain in the eye sockets. If a rash appears on the palms, you must immediately go to the emergency room or emergency department.