TAKE ACTION TO PREVENT TICK AND MOSQUITO BITES

The balmy days of summer are almost upon us. While most of us welcome this change in season and embark on outdoor activities, there are several signs of summer that we don't welcome including ticks and mosquitoes.

"Unfortunately, a tick bite can leave behind more that just a bite mark and the uncomfortable feeling that this creature just made a meal out of you. Ticks can leave behind a whole host of diseases including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and tularemia," said Dr. Gail Hansen, interim state epidemiologist at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). "Mosquitoes can spread West Nile Virus and other illnesses."

Avoiding Ticks:

KDHE advises taking the following steps to reduce the risk of being bitten by a tick and consequently exposed to the diseases carried by ticks:

• Regularly mow lawns and cut brush. Ticks like to hide in these tall, shady areas.
• Walk in the middle of trails, away from tall grass and bushes.
• Wear long pants tucked unto high socks, over-the-ankle shoes, and a long-sleeved shirt tucked into pants. Clothing should be light-colored to make ticks more visible.
• Use insect repellants with DEET, according to label instructions.
• Check yourself every eight hours for ticks when outside for extended periods of time.
• Promptly remove a tick if one is found.

"If you do find a tick on your body, grasp the tick with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and slowly pull it straight out. Do not crush or puncture the tick and try to avoid touching the tick with your bare hands. Thoroughly disinfect the bite area and wash your hands immediately after removal," said Hansen.

If you do happen to get bitten by a tick, watch for the following signs and symptoms of disease and then seek immediate medical attention:

• Lyme disease ---Ticks that carry Lyme disease are typically very small, about the size of a sesame seed. Symptoms often include a large, red rash around the bite area or elsewhere. The rash is usually ring-shaped or looks like a bull's eye, and expands from the bite. The rash usually does not itch. Multiple rash sites may occur. Other symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, and muscle and joint pain may occur. Antibiotics can be prescribed to treat Lyme disease. If left untreated, complications can include meningitis (inflammation of the covering of the brain), facial palsy, heart problems, and joint pain and swelling. The disease is not fatal.
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever ---Ticks that carry this disease are usually larger and are often referred to as "wood ticks" or "dog ticks." Symptoms occur within two weeks of the bite and include a high fever lasting for two or three weeks, severe headache, fatigue, deep muscle pain, chills, and rash. The rash typically begins on the legs, arms, soles of feet, or palms and can spread rapidly to the rest of the body. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can be fatal if not treated.
• Ehrlichiosis ---This disease can be spread by may different types of ticks, including the same ticks that carry Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Symptoms mimic those listed above. If not treated, the disease can be fatal.
• Tularemia ---Sometimes known as "rabbit fever," this disease is transmitted by ticks directly from an infected animal, or more rarely by inhaling dust heavily contaminated with the organism. Ticks that transmit tularemia are similar to ticks that transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The area around the tick bite often becomes ulcerated and the lymph nodes swell. Fever, chills, and headache will follow. The disease can be fatal if not treated.

In 2004, Kansas surveillance confirmed three cases of Lyme disease; no cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever; one case of ehrilichiosis; and nine cases of tularemia. Many more cases of each of these diseases were clinically diagnosed, treated, and reported by physicians, but lacked some additional tests needed to be considered confirmed cases for surveillance.

Avoiding Mosquitoes/West Nile Virus:

West Nile Virus is primarily a disease of birds, spread by infected mosquitoes to people, but it is not contagious from person to person. Symptoms range from mild (slight headache and low grade fever) to extreme (neurological disease - swelling of the brain or brain tissue) and in rare cases, death. Most people have no symptoms. Once a person contracts WNV, they are immune to it.

KDHE recommends the following actions to protect themselves and family members from mosquitoes and West Nile Virus:

• Use an insect repellent on the skin. In addition to those that contain DEET, the CDC has now determined that repellants containing Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are effective in repelling mosquitoes. The label directions for all repellants should be closely followed.
• Wear protective clothing when practical.
• Remove standing water.
• Use larvicide in water that cannot be removed.
• Refresh water for birdbaths, pet bowls, and wading pools at least every three days.
• Limit outdoor activities at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.

In 2004, there were nine confirmed WNV cases of neuroinvasive disease and 37 probable cases of WNV (including both neuroinvasive and non-neuroinvasive cases) reported to KDHE. There were two deaths confirmed to be due to WNV in 2004.

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