They’re Out for Blood
Ticks can survive by biting an animal or human by sucking
its blood, infecting you with bacteria, viruses or parasites they may be
carrying. While many tick bite don’t
lead to disease, you should keep a watch for symptoms of any illnesses they
spread.
Lyme Disease
This is one of the most common tick-borne illnesses in the
U.S. The CDC (Centers for Disease
Control) say there’s about 300,000 case a year, and the bacteria attacks your
nervous system as well as your heart, liver, eyes and joints too. These ticks live mostly in the Northwest and
Upper Midwest with more than 95% carrying Lyme Disease—comes from the town of
Lyme, CT.
Lyme Disease Symptoms
You may feel you have the flu—fever, chills, headache and
joint or muscle pain. You notice a skin
rash near the tick bite within 3-30 days after getting the bite, The rash will get bigger with the middle
clears leaving a red ring around the outside giving a “bull-eye’s” look. 60% of people who get this have this rash.
Lyme Disease Treatment
If you’re in the area mentioned and find a tick on you, call
a doctor immediately, especially if the tick is fat, as an antibiotic can help
protect you from Lyme Disease if taken within 72 hours of the bite. If you get Lyme Disease, you may have to take
a longer course of antibiotics. Most
recover from Lyme Disease with symptoms last 6 months more. If you don’t seek treatment, you can have
numbness in your arms and legs and even paralysis on the right side of your
face.
Rocky Mountain
Spotted Fever
This bacterial infection hits less than 3,000 people a year,
but if not found early, causes serious illness and long-term health
issues. Symptoms appear within 2 days to
2 weeks after a tick bite, causing fever, headaches, vomiting, stomach pain,
red eyes and sore muscles. Many people
can get a red splotchy rash on their ankles or wrists several days after the
other symptoms.
Rocky Mountain
Spotted Fever Treatment
A doctor will prescribe the doxycycline antibiotic as
treatment. The CDC suggests taking it as
soon as possible if your doctor thinks you have it as it works best during the
first 5 days after you notice symptoms.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is prevalent in every state but Alaska,
Hawaii and Maine, but more common in the Midwest and Southeast.
Powassan
Named after the Canadian town where it was first found in
1958, few people than 80 have had it in the past decade—mostly in the Northeast
and Great Lakes regions. It can attack
the brain and tissue surrounding it causing inflammation. Symptoms range from headaches, fever,
vomiting, confusion, loss of coordination and seizures. It can appear anywhere from a week to a month
after being bitten.
Powassan Diagnosis
and Treatment
If your doctor suspects you have it, tests on your blood and
spinal fluid for certain proteins called antibodies in your immune system to
fight off the infection as there are no medicines to treat it. If you get a sever case, you’ll stay in the
hospital to get help breathing, if necessary.
A doctor can prescribe medicine to help with swelling in your brain that
can cause lasting nerve damage.
Tick Paralysis
Not caused by bacteria or virus, doctors think it is a
poison in the tick’s saliva. It most
happens in the Rocky Mountains and northwestern states and western Canada. It makes the muscles slacken, spreading
through your entire body and often mistaken for other illnesses. It usually goes away once the tick is found
and taken off.
Anaplasmosis
Carried by the same tick that carries Lyme Disease, it
attacks the white blood cells that fight the disease in your body. It can make you tired, causing fever, chills,
muscle aches, headaches and stomach pain.
Symptoms appear with 1-3 weeks after being bitten. About 1,800 people get anaplasmosis every
year and is mostly found in the Northeast and Upper Midwest regions. It is usually treated with doxycycline.
Ehrlichiosis
Related to anaplasmosis, it’s carried by the lone star
tick. Most cases are usually found in
the southwestern and south-central states.
Symptoms range from fever, headache, nausea and belly pain, but you can
also get a cough, diarrhea and as well as a rash. Signs appear within 1-2 weeks after being
bitten, it is treated with doxycycline.
Tularemia
Often called rabbit fever because it affects rabbits and rodents,
although there were only 314 human cases in the U.S. in 2015, it’s very
contagious and life-threatening if not treated.
It causes skin ulcers, fever and swelling in the glands called lymph
nodes. While most people recover after
taking an antibiotic, it can last for weeks.
It has been reported in every state but Hawaii, but most are in the
southcentral U.S.
Babesiosis
Most tick-borne diseases are caused by bacteria, this is a
parasite attacking the red blood cells.
You may feel as if you have the flu and it can cause low-blood pressure,
anemia or liver or kidney problems. It
is spread by deer ticks and usually is found in adults. Fewer than 1,800 people got Babesiosis in
2013, mostly in the Northeast and Upper Midwest regions. It’s treated with anti-parasitic drugs and
antibiotics.
How to Keep Safe
Obviously, the best way to prevent tick-borne illness is not
to get bitten by a tick. Ticks live in
grass, bushes and leaf piles and can grab onto you as you walk by, looking for
bare skin and dig in. Whenever you’re
outdoors:
·
Stay away from tall bushes or grass and stick to
the middle of a trail.
·
Use bug repellents like DEET.
·
Wear long pants, and tuck them into white socks
so you can see the ticks.
·
Look carefully for ticks when you get back
inside. If you find one that hasn’t
attached on, ou aren’t at risk for any infections.
How to Take Off a
Tick
If you do find a tick that’s latched onto you, use tweezers
to remove it, grabbing the tick as close to your skin as possible and pull up
slowly and steadily. Don’t jerk loose,
as some mouth parts may break and remain on the skin. Once you get it off, dunk in alcohol, wrap in
tape, or flush it down the toilet to kill it.
Never crush it with the fingers always wash your hands after handling a tick
with alcohol or soap and water.
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