Published: July 09, 2008 02:02 pm            

Beware of ticks

Submitted by Raymond King, District Director of Environmental Health, North Georgia Health District



You might be surprised to learn that ticks transmit more diseases and cause more illnesses in the United States than any other type of disease vector including mosquitoes. In fact, seven distinct clinical diseases are transmitted by ticks: Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, Tularemia, Colorado Tick Fever, Tick Paralysis and Relapsing Fever.

The greater your exposure to the outdoors, the greater your chances of acquiring an illness through a tick bite, and I am an unfortunate example. I grew up on a farm and, like many rural families, we hunted and fished as forms of recreation. When I was 5, I helped my father dress a rabbit he killed; a tick from the rabbit attached itself to me and I got what our family’s country doctor called “rabbit fever” or tularemia. Later in life, my job brought me into contact with the outdoors every day and in spite of using repellents, a tick transmitted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) to me. Thankfully, in both cases, I was quickly cured by use of modern antibiotics but not before suffering severe fevers, chills and body aches. Some tick-borne diseases such as RMSF can be fatal if untreated and others such as Lyme disease can cause severe long-term damage to body organs. The onset of RMSF symptoms is very sudden and severe.

Lyme disease is the most common of the tick-borne diseases with about 25,000 cases reported each year. This is an estimate because no single serologic test is definitive and there are undoubtedly many more undiagnosed and misdiagnosed cases. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can have a fatality rate of 30 percent if not treated.

If you or any family member experience sudden flu-like symptoms including fever, myalgia, chills, headaches and/or unusual rashes, see your physician at once. Do not delay. The key to effective treatment is early recognition, diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antibiotics.

Of course, prevention is much better than treatment, so follow these suggestions when enjoying the outdoors:

• Wear light-colored clothing, which will allow you to see ticks that are crawling on you before they attach. Ticks are also more attracted to light-colored clothing, but on the whole it’s better that you see the tick before it attaches to you.

• Tuck your pants legs into your socks so that ticks cannot crawl up inside your pants.

• Apply repellent to discourage tick attachment. Repellents containing permethrin can be sprayed on boots and clothing and can last for several days. Repellents containing DEET will only last a few hours before reapplication is needed. Use DEET with caution on children because adverse reactions have been reported.

• Conduct a body search check upon return from tick-infested areas. Remember that you usually won’t feel a tick attach itself, so look in a full-length mirror to examine all parts of your body. In most cases, a tick must be attached for several hours before diseases can be transmitted to you, so getting the tick off quickly is very important. Don’t forget to check your children when they return from playing outside, even when they have only been in your yard. Remember that some such as deer ticks are very small and easily overlooked.

• Use of certain pesticides on your yard grounds can reduce the chances of having ticks, but always follow the labeled instructions carefully and never use a pesticide for anything other than the purpose given on the label. If you are not sure, contract with a professional pest control operator.

• Keep your dogs and cats treated to prevent ticks on them. Consult your veterinarian about available products.

To remove attached ticks, use the following procedure:

Use fine tipped tweezers or shield fingers with a tissue, paper towel or rubber gloves. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull upwards with a steady even pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick; this may cause the mouth parts to break off and remain in the skin resulting in infection. If the mouth parts remain in the skin, use tweezers to remove them and seek medical attention if infection occurs.

Do not crush, squeeze, or puncture the body of the tick because its fluids may contain the infectious microbes. Do not handle the tick with bare hands because infectious microbes may enter through mucous membranes or breaks in the skin. This precaution is particularly directed to individuals who remove ticks from domestic animals and pets with unprotected fingers.

After removing the tick, thoroughly wash the bite site and apply a disinfectant.

You may wish to save the tick for identification in case you subsequently become ill within the next two to three weeks. Your doctor can use this information to make an accurate diagnosis. Place the tick in a bottle or zip lock bag with a little rubbing alcohol and write the date on the outside of the container.

For more information about tick-borne diseases, log onto the Georgia Division of Public Health Web site: http://health.state.ga.us.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.