Ticks are no laughing matter - Ca.

georgia · medicine forum Guru Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 505

http://www.record-bee.com/Stories/0,1413,255~34623~3288548,00.html

Ticks are no laughing matter

By Terry Knight -- Record-Bee outdoors columnist

I first noticed the small black dot on my hunting partner's neck as he
was
walking in front of me during a recent turkey hunt. That black dot
turned
out to be a tick that had attached itself to the soft part of his neck,
right below the ear.

He pulled off the tick and then noticed another one was attached to his
arm.
Later I found several ticks crawling up my pants leg.

Spring is tick time in Lake and Mendocino counties and the bad part is
they
can be carriers of Lyme disease. If you're infected with Lyme disease
and
not treated, it can have devastating consequences. While the chances of
catching Lyme disease are not high, people who frequent the woods in
Lake
and Mendocino counties are urged to be on the lookout for ticks that
carry
the bacteria.

With spring turkey season in full swing, hunters are the most
susceptible of
coming in contact with ticks, although fishermen and hikers can also
pick up
ticks.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Lyme disease is a
bacterial disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease is spread
by
the bite of a tick. In California it's the western black-legged tick
that
transmits the disease. The tick bites an infected animal, such as a
mouse,
bird, deer or lizard, and then becomes a carrier of the disease.

Symptoms of Lyme disease vary. Within one to two weeks of being
infected, a
person may develop "bull's-eye" rash, fever, headache and muscle or
joint
pain. Some people have Lyme disease and do not have any early symptoms.
Other people develop a fever and other flu-like symptoms, but without
the
rash. In it's early stages Lyme disease can be effectively treated with
antibiotics. However, if left untreated it can cause arthritic or
neurological problems that will require extensive treatment.

After several days or weeks, the bacteria may spread throughout the
body of
an infected person. People infected with the disease experience a wide
array
of symptoms from arthritis to heart and neurological problems. There
have
been very few deaths caused by Lyme disease, however, the crippling
effects
of the disease can last a lifetime.

There is a blood test for Lyme disease and, according to the CDC, the
test
is about 80-85 percent reliable. Unfortunately it doesn't always detect
the
disease.

It can also lay dormant in your body for years before becoming active.

People most at risk for catching Lyme disease are hunters, hikers,
campers
or workers who spend a good deal of time in the woods. A controlled
study by
world renown entomologist Dr. Robert S. Lane of the University of
California, Berkeley, listed the five greatest risk behaviors for
catching
Lyme disease. The study consisted of researchers doing various tasks in
the
woods and the number of ticks counted that attached themselves to the
individuals.

Sitting on a log drew most of the ticks. That was followed by gathering
wood, sitting against a tree, walking through the woods and sitting in
leaf
piles. Turkey hunters are at a greater risk of contacting the disease
because they may spend hours sitting against a tree, the theory being
that
the longer a person stays in one place the more ticks he/she will
attract.

Only nymphs (immature ticks) and adult female ticks can transmit the
Lyme
disease bacteria to humans. It's the nymphs, which are about the size
of a
poppy seed, that are most dangerous because they're hard to see and
difficult to remove.

Only a small percentage of ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria.
Studies
have shown that in Lake and Mendocino counties less than 3 percent of
the
ticks are actual carriers.

The good news is that it normally takes at least 24 hours after a tick
attaches itself to a human before the person is infected. If the tick
is
removed promptly the chances of getting Lyme disease is very low.

If you are bitten by a tick, the CDC advises that you remove the tick
carefully to prevent breaking off the head. The best method is to use a
small set of tweezers. Grab the tick as close as possible to the head
and
pull it straight out.

If you suspect the tick may be a carrier of Lyme disease, you can place
the
removed tick in a damp wad of cotton and take it to the Lake County
Health
Department. For a fee of $15 the department will send the tick to the
Mendocino County Public Health Laboratory for analysis. You will learn
if
the tick was a Lyme disease carrier within five days.

People with symptoms of Lyme disease should see their doctor as early
as
possible. When caught early, the disease is easily treated with
antibiotics.

Most physicians automatically prescribe antibiotics when they see an
infected tick bite or the red bull's eye rash.

Ticks can be repelled by applying a tick repellent to clothing. The
most
common repellents include the ingredient DEET.

You should also check your body carefully for several days after
returning
from the woods. Ticks like to attach themselves in your groin,
underarms and
other places where the skin is soft.

© 2006 Record-Bee.com

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