Exploring the Ozarks Outdoors: freshare.net

Take Precautions Against Tick-Borne Diseases - by: Jim Low

First posted on 04-10-2007

Protection is easy, and the possible results of carelessness are no fun.

JEFFERSON CITY-Rex Martensen wasn’t thinking of tick-borne disease when he skinned a raccoon after a hunt on Christmas Day in 2005. He wasn’t thinking of the raccoon when he got sick. He thinks of both now, every time he works with wild game.

Martensen is a private land field programs supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation in Jefferson City. As a wildlife expert, he knew that handling game carried a very small risk of contracting tick-borne diseases. Yet, he had never worn rubber gloves when cleaning game.

“I didn’t think anything of it when I cut my thumb while cleaning that raccoon,” he said. He had already forgotten about the cut when he started feeling feverish 11 days later. He stayed home from work Jan. 6 with aches, chills and a headache that “seemed to get worse by the hour, possibly by the minute.”

Three days later, the headache was so severe that he was vomiting. “I knew I was in trouble,” he said. “I had a high fever. Over-the-counter drugs did nothing. I might as well have been eating M&Ms. I got up in the night to use the bathroom, passed out, woke up on the floor and, like a typical male, didn’t wake my wife and say ‘Hon, I’m sick.’ I went back to bed - like it was going to be fine. By the next afternoon I was begging my wife to take me to the hospital.”

The emergency-room doctor’s diagnosis was ehrlichiosis, a bacterial disease similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Two doses of morphine dulled the pain in Martensen’s head. Feeling better, he got a prescription for antibiotics and went home. He was back in less than 24 hours and spent four days in the hospital on intravenous antibiotics. Getting over the disease took two weeks.

“The doctor told me, ‘This isn’t a normal infection where you take the antibiotic, and after a day or two you are feeling better. You are going to feel bad for 10 to 14 days.’ He was right.”

Martensen’s case was not typical because of the time of year. Doctors normally see ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, Lyme disease and other tick-borne ailments from spring through autumn. The typical source of infection is the bite of a tick that has previously bitten an infected animal.

While stories like Martensen’s are sobering, it is important to keep the danger posed by tick-borne diseases in perspective. Many more people are injured in automobile accidents each year than get sick from tick bites. People don’t let this stop them from driving or riding in automobiles. Instead, they take reasonable precautions to prevent injury. It makes just as much sense to continue enjoying healthful outdoor activities but take precautions against tick bites. Preventative measures are simple.

“I wear gloves every time I work with game now,” said Martensen, “every time. I keep a box of latex gloves at home, and when I go hunting I take five or six pairs. Really, I don’t know why I didn’t before, not just for the disease aspect, but it’s just so much cleaner. When you finish, instead of having blood all over your hands and wiping it off with leaves or a rag or something, you just peel them off and take them home and throw them away.”

Martensen also is more careful about avoiding tick bites. He uses DEET or permethrin-based repellents when work or recreation takes him outdoors during the warm months. Permethrin-based repellants should be applied only to clothing and gear and allowed to dry before the clothes are worn. Do not apply permethrin directly to skin.

Other ways of avoiding ticks include wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants with pants tucked into socks or boots. Wear light-colored shirts and pants to make ticks easier to spot. Also, check for ticks immediately after outdoor activities. This allows you to remove many ticks before they have a chance to bite.

Even after a tick has bitten you, removing the tick promptly in the correct way reduces the chance of infection. Most tick transmitted diseases are not transferred to the host until ticks have been feeding for some time. If you are outdoors for an extended period, take time for a tick check every few hours.

Once bitten, it is important to remove ticks alive. Touching them with hot objects or covering them with nail polish or other irritating substances can make them expel their stomach contents into the bite, drastically increasing the risk of infection. It is also important to remove ticks without leaving their mouth parts embedded in the skin. Secondary infections from improperly removed ticks are much more common than tick borne diseases. While secondary infections are a risk, however, disease transmission will not occur just from remaining mouthparts.

Follow these steps to remove a tick that is already attached:
* Disinfect the area of attachment with alcohol.
* Grasp ticks near the head with tweezers or forceps. If using fingers, cover them with tissue or rubber gloves. Use only as much pressure as necessary. Squeezing can force material from the tick into your skin.
* Remove the tick with a firm outward movement. Do not jerk or twist.
* Disinfect the bite area again.

Many outdoor/hunting equipment outfitters and farm exchange stores sell tick-removal tools that are very effective at removing adult ticks. These are especially useful for those who have trouble handling tweezers.

-Jim Low-

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