Tick-Borne Diseases
From the Rhode Island
Department of Health
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| Classic bulleye from a tick bite BUT not all bites will cause this kind of rash. |
These include Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis, Powassan (POW), and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
Ticks can be infected with bacteria, viruses, or parasites.
When an infected tick bites the human host, the human may become infected.
Symptoms
If you have been
bitten by a tick, there is a possibility that have become infected with one of
these diseases, but not every tick is a carrier.
If you have become
infected, symptoms can present themselves between a few days and a few months
later, or may not appear at all.
The type and severity
of symptoms vary with the specific disease, but there are some common symptoms,
which include tiredness, body/muscle aches, joint pain, fever, rash, stiff
neck, and facial paralysis.
Early diagnosis is
helpful in successfully treating tick-borne diseases, so it is important to
contact your healthcare provider if you are experiencing symptoms.
How Tick-Borne Diseases Spread
When a tick becomes
infected and continues to feed on various hosts, the bacteria, virus, or
parasite can be transmitted.
Ticks that are located
in the brush and on tall grasses come into contact with humans as we pass
through these environments.
The ticks can then
crawl up sleeves and bite the skin, typically around warm areas under the hair.
Rocky
Mountain Spotted Fever is spread by the American Dog Tick (Dercacentor
variabilis), Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (Dermacentor andersoni), Lone
Star tick (Amblyomma americanum), and Brown Dog tick (Rhipicephalus
sanguineus).
Powassan virus is
spread by the Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis), Ixodes cookie,
and Ixodes marxi. Ixodes cookei and Ixodes
marxi rarely bite humans.
Lyme
disease, Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis are
the most frequently reported tick-borne diseases in Rhode Island.
In addition, in recent
years there has been an increase in the number of cases of Powassan virus in
the Northeast, including the identification of Rhode Island’s first case in
2016.
The ticks that carry
these diseases are endemic to the northeastern and upper midwestern United
States. The greatest risk of being bitten exists in the spring, summer,
and fall.
However, ticks may
also be out searching for a host during the winter, any time temperatures are
above freezing.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Your healthcare
provider will assess your symptoms and discuss whether you have been exposed to
a potential tick habitat. Laboratory tests can be ordered to determine if there
is an organism present in your blood or if your blood contains antibodies to an
organism.
Most of the tick-borne
diseases are treated with antibiotics. Your healthcare provider will determine
the appropriate medication and duration of treatment that is right for your
condition.
What You Should Do
Avoid Direct Contact
with Ticks
Avoid wooded and
brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
Walk in the center of
trails.
Repel Ticks with DEET
or Permethrin
Use repellents that
contain 20 to 30% DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide)
on exposed skin and clothing for protection that lasts up to several hours.
Always follow product instructions. Parents should apply this product to their
children, avoiding hands, eyes, and mouth.
Use products that
contain permethrin on clothing. Treat clothing
and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents with products containing 0.5%
permethrin. It remains protective through several washings. Pre-treated
clothing is available and may provide longer-lasting protection.
Other repellents
registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may be found at Insect Repellents: Use and Effectiveness.
Find Ticks
Conduct a full-body
tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your
body upon return from tick-infested areas.
Parents should check
their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the
belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and
especially in their hair.
Examine gear and pets.
Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person
later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and day packs.
Tumble dry clothes in
a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you
come indoors.
If the clothes are
damp, additional time may be needed.
If the clothes require
washing first, hot water is recommended. Cold and medium temperature water will
not kill ticks effectively.
If the clothes cannot
be washed in hot water, tumble dry on low heat for 90 minutes or high heat for
60 minutes. The clothes should be warm and completely dry.
Remove Ticks
To remove an attached tick,
grasp with tweezers or forceps as close as possible to attachment (skin) site,
and pull upward and out with a firm and steady pressure.
If tweezers are not
available, use fingers shielded with tissue paper or rubber gloves. Do not
handle with bare hands.
Be careful not to
squeeze, crush or puncture the body of the tick which may contain infectious
fluids.
After removing the
tick, thoroughly disinfect the bite site and wash hands. See or call a
physician if there is concern about incomplete tick removal.
It is important that a
tick be removed as soon as it is discovered. Check after every two or three
hours of outdoor activity for ticks attached to clothing or skin.
- Anaplasmosis CDC Data
- Babesiosis CDC FAQ's Data
- Ehrlichiosis CDC FAQ's Data
- Lyme Disease CDC Data
- Powassan CDC FAQ's
- Rickettsiosis (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) CDC FAQ's