In recent days, a disease has been gaining prominence in the media in Minas Gerais, especially in the capital and metropolitan region. Spotted fever, transmitted by the star tick, has already been responsible for four deaths in Contagem in recent weeks. But this disease has been appearing in the region for some time now.<\/p>\n
In 1943, Father Eust\u00e1quio carried out his apostolate in the Celeste Imp\u00e9rio neighborhood (now the Padre Eust\u00e1quio neighborhood in Belo Horizonte). The area, considered at the time to be on the outskirts of the Minas Gerais capital, contained many vacant lots, tall grass, and animals of all sizes that inhabited the region. One of these animals was the tick mentioned in Father Ven\u00e2ncio Hullselmans' book, "The Vicar of Po\u00e1".<\/p>\n
\u201c"Anyone strolling through the "Celeste Imp\u00e9rio" neighborhood of the Minas Gerais capital, walking along the poorly finished cobblestones of Par\u00e1 de Minas street towards the "Cristo-Rei" chapel, rejoices in any detour or shortcut that spares them from walking on that uneven road, even if the path leads them through the undergrowth. However, they shouldn't be surprised if, after reaching the little chapel, they feel a rather uncomfortable tickle, because that undergrowth is riddled with ticks, not always harmless ones.".\u00a0<\/em>They say that in that neighborhood there is, or was, an outbreak of a type of European tick, once imported by German colonists. It's a dangerous parasite, carrying a fatal disease, typhus.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Typhus (exanthematic typhus) was the name given to the disease in Brazil at the time. Later, they began using Spotted Fever, the name given by Americans to the same pathology. It is an uncommon disease caused by a bacterium, which is transmitted by the bite of a tick or by the feces of a louse. Symptoms include: fever, nausea, severe headache, muscle aches, and loss of appetite.<\/p>\n And that is exactly what Father Eust\u00e1quio began to feel on August 22nd, while he was preaching a retreat to the students of the Sacred Heart College. The symptoms worsened until they became critical on the night of the 29th, when the kind priest awaited the arrival of his Superior, Father Gil, for a farewell, as the doctors gave the ailing priest only a few more hours to live. In the book, Father Ven\u00e2ncio also mentions Father Eust\u00e1quio's last moments:<\/p>\n \u201c"At nine o'clock on the 30th, he entered his death throes, but retained the use of his faculties. He joined in the prayers of the dying, insistently asking about his friend. He seemed to refuse to depart from life without having seen his Superior and companion from the first struggles in Brazil, who finally arrived at half past ten, to the relief of all who felt the visible interest of the dying man.".<\/em><\/p>\n Upon entering the room, Father Eustace recognized him immediately; he tried to rise, but in vain. \u201cFather Gil, Deo Gratias\u201d (Thanks be to God), was all he managed to say. Then, a convulsive movement of his face, a reaction of his whole body, three deep sighs, and Father Eustace's soul flew to God, to receive the reward for his tireless labor and his great charity.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Sources: \u201cO Vig\u00e1rio de Po\u00e1\u201d by Father Ven\u00e2ncio Hullselmans and the Superintendency for the Control of Endemic Diseases of S\u00e3o Paulo (ucen.sp.gov.br\/atuac\/maculo.html) Nos \u00faltimos dias, uma doen\u00e7a vem tomando espa\u00e7o nos meios de comunica\u00e7\u00e3o de Minas Gerais, especialmente, na capital e na regi\u00e3o metropolitana. A febre maculosa, transmitida pelo carrapato estrela, j\u00e1 foi a respons\u00e1vel por quatro mortes em Contagem, nas \u00faltimas semanas. Mas, n\u00e3o \u00e9 de hoje que esta doen\u00e7a aparece pela regi\u00e3o. Em 1943, Padre Eust\u00e1quio vivia seu apostolado no bairro Celeste Imp\u00e9rio, (atual bairro Padre Eust\u00e1quio, em Belo Horizonte). O lugar, considerado na \u00e9poca, periferia da Capital Mineira abrigava muitos lotes vagos, mato alto e animais grandes e pequenos que habitavam a regi\u00e3o. Um deles era o tal carrapato, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[614,611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curiosidades","category-noticias"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nPhotos: SSCC Archive \/ Contagem Daily<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"