Tick Bite Diseases

Ticks are blood sucking parasites that belong to the arachnid family--a group of arthropods that includes spiders, mites, and scorpions. Ticks were first discovered in 1906 and have increased dramatically in regards to population. Ticks attach themselves to humans and animals and feed off their blood. They live in wooded areas, bushes, and shrugged areas. They stay close to the ground so that they can jump on humans and animals to feed off their blood. Ticks can attach to any part of your body.

Diseases

Ticks carry diseases that can be transmitted to the human body through one single bite. Ticks cause diseases in the human body by either secretion of toxins or by transmitting germs. There are a number of tick borne diseases recognized across the world. Some of them are Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever and tick paralysis.

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is the most common tick disease in the world. It is most common in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the coastal mid Atlantic, however it has been reported in all 48 contingent states. It is caused by spirochete, which is the secretion found in ticks. They are not born with it; however they contract it from feeding off infected rodents. Ticks need time to attach and feed off human blood. Generally, it takes them anywhere from 36 to 48 hours to attach, feed, and transmit spirochete. Symptoms that accompany Lyme disease are red circular rash, fever, headaches, fatigue, joint pains and flu-like symptoms. It is known that 10% of untreated people will develop joint swelling, cardiac problems, arthritis and tingling of the arms and legs.

Rocky Mountain

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is common in South central and coastal Southern states. Once bitten, you will develop fever and flu-like symptoms. They usually will begin 4 to 10 days after you have been bitten by a tick. The trademark symptom for this disease is a rash on your wrist and ankles. The rash will spread to your entire body, sparing your face. Typically, the rash will appear in the first two weeks of illness.

Colorado Tick Fever

Colorado tick fever is commonly found in Rocky Mountain States like Colorado, Nevada and California. Symptoms for this disease are headaches, fever, and flu-like symptoms. Symptoms usually appear 3 to 6 days after the tick bite and last for 5 to 8 days where they will begin to disappear by themselves.

Tick Paralysis

There have been cases of tick paralysis in the U.S., however most cases occur in Australia. The main symptom for this disease is muscle weakness, which progresses to paralysis. This symptom develops 5 to 6 days after a female tick has attacked. This disease primarily affects children because of the nerve toxin found in the tick secretion. Removing the tick is the only way to recover.

Treatment

There are two different types of treatments for tick bites; self-treatment and medical treatment. Remove ticks immediately from the skin with a pair of tweezers. If you are unsure on how to do this, seek medical attention. Your medical practitioner will give you the proper treatment based on the type of tick, length of attachment and the symptoms you have. Some of the basic medical treatments are cleansing, antibiotic cream, Benadryl (for itching) and oral antibiotics.

References

• Henry County Health Department
• Web MD
• Juanita Williams; Demand Studios; Chicago, Illinois