Tick Disease and Importance of Prevention and Detection

Tick bites if undetected  can cause many health issues and diseases. They can infect you by bacteria, virus, and parasites all of which cause serious illness and diseases.  Diseases that you can contract from getting a tick bite include: Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Southern tick-associated rash illness, Tick-borne relapsing fever and Tularemia.  "In the United States ticks are responsible for more human disease than any other insect". (Health.mo.gov).   Ticks are effective transmitters of disease because they attach them selves to a large population of small and large animals.  Ticks transmit the disease by feeding on an infected animal and then attaching themselves to a human host and transmitting the infection to them.  Signs and symptoms of tick- borne disease vary but the most common are: sudden high fever, severe headache, muscle or joint aches, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.  The most important thing is that when the proper precautions are taken they can reduce their chances of getting bit.

The main ways to avoid tick-borne  diseases are prevention (before the bite) and detection (after the bite).  Prevention includes knowing where ticks are more prevalent  these areas are moist humid areas, especially near wooded and grassy places.   Ticks do not jump, fall or fly they are usually found within 3 feet of the ground so walking down the center of a path and avoiding tall grass and overhanging plant can help you avoid tick attachment.    Using products containing Perethrin (a chemical that kills tick)  or  products containing DEET before going outside will repel  ticks before they can bite.  And finally wearing protective clothing which includes light colored clothing, long sleeve shirts, long pants, and tucking you pants into boots all are good ways to avoid tick bites.  All though prevention is important is is not 100% protective so the next step in tick safety is detection.

Detection involves knowing what to look for and proper removal.  After coming in from outdoors  you should check all body areas and clothing for ticks,  and shower soon after being outdoors.   The most common areas of attachment are the head, neck, underarms, and groin.   When you find a tick proper removal technique is key.  The quicker you find the  the better because the longer the tick is attached the more likely disease will occur.  Proper removal involves using fine tip tweezers to grasp around the head of the tick and pulling straight up.  Be sure not to leave the head of the tick behind, burn the tick before removal, or remove tick with fingers, all of these increase risk for infection.  However, not all ticks carry disease so monitoring for signs of illness that could possible occur and know what to do if the  symptoms discussed earlier do arise. 

Works Cited 

Department of health and senior services, (n.d.). Tick-borne disease. Retrieved from website: http://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/tickscarrydisease/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/on_people.html