Background:  Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a severe, potentially fatal disease caused by the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsiae, transmitted through a tick bite.  Before 2003, the incidence of the disease in Arizona was rarely diagnosed.  The confirmation of a case on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in 2003 resulted in intense investigation and interventions to understand and address RMSF in Arizona.  The findings revealed the risk of RMSF in Arizona was startlingly different in comparison to anywhere else in the United States.  RMSF was first identified on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in 2004 with its first human case.  The Reservation recorded its first two RMSF deaths and since then incidence of RMSF on the San Carlos Apache Reservation has reached epidemic proportions.  A CDC investigation identified 77 RMSF cases.

The San Carlos Apache Tribe has worked closely with Federal and State partners to develop community-based RMSF prevention strategies involving:  integrated pest management, animal control and community education to redue human exposure to infected ticks.  Emergency funding was requested and received from Indian Health Service to aid in RMSF prevention efforts.

This Request for Proposal will be addressed only to the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

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