Watch out for ticks!!

“From: ProMED-mail
Source: The Tribune / AP [edited]



Deadly tick-borne disease turns up in Wyoming
------------------------
This month 2 cases of a potentially deadly tick-borne disease were reported in Wyoming. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever was found in Fremont and Campbell counties, about a month before the season generally begins. The disease is fairly rare in Wyoming, with an average of 2 cases each year.

"It's a bit unusual," said Scott Seys, an epiemiologist with the
Wyoming Department of Health, "but of course with such small numbers,
it's hard to say." The disease is most often seen in the summer, he
said. Untreated, it can be serious.

Symptoms include a moderate to high fever, muscle aches and pains,
and chills [in addition, a severe headache occurs -- often the worst
ever experienced by the patient -- characteristic of most rickettsial
infections - Mod.LL]. Also, in 85 to 90 percent of cases, a rash
appears on the arms or legs and eventually spreads to the palms and
soles of the feet. "That makes it distinctive from other rashes,"
Seys said. "If the rash is on the trunk, it's probably not spotted
fever." [The characteristic rash occurs on the third day of fever and headache, beginning as a maculopapular eruption on the wrists and ankles and spreading distally to the palms and soles and somewhat proximally, as well as becoming petechial or purpuric. - Mod.LL]

A tick must be attached to the body and feeding for at least 4 hours for the disease to infect a person, he said. "If a tick is crawling on them, they won't catch it." Seys suggests hikers tuck pant legs into their socks to reduce the chances of exposure to a tick and to do a thorough body check for ticks after walking in tall-grass areas.

--
ProMED-mail
”

“As if Lyme disease wasn't enough!

One time while hunting down in Florida, I pulled 23, yes twenty three, ticks out of my skin. Not crawling around, but ones that had already ducked their heads in for a drink.”

“Two kinds of ticks: the big ticks commonly called dog ticks carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The little ticks, commonly called deer ticks, carry Lyme disease. RMSF can turn up on the East Coast as well as in the Rockies. Deer ticks infest the white-footed mouse as well as deer and humans (and probably other mammals as well).
I already pulled off a deer tick this year. No symptoms yet.
Repellants containing DEET are supposed to be effective against ticks as well as mosquitoes.”

“Also, there are two schools of thought about tucking pants into socks, etc.
The tuck 'em folks think it keeps ticks out. But ticks, particularly the small deer ticks, are capable of working their way through the tuck.
The other school holds that shorts allow you to see the ticks before they settle in for a feast.
When it's warm, I wear shorts, and that pretty much covers tick season.”

“Skeery.”

“Great! We're going to WY after Montanapalooza.

I had a tick once from the local mountains. I thought my bra was wet and the elastic was digging into me. I went to take a shower and the tick's head was in me and the body was big. It crawled up the T-shirt sleeve and down. Nothing ever happened with it.”

“My cousin got RMSF in South Carolina about ten or twelve years ago.”

“Another reason I don't like summer hiking.”

“Ticks are cool!

8)”

“Is there ANYTHING that Mikey doesn't like?

I had little deer ticks drinking me on Cumberland Island. I was still picking them off TWO days after we got home. GROSS.

running girl”

“and off the trail. summer is for water activities...leave the ticks to freeze there fangs in winter.

I'm right with you Steve Hiker”

“Oh there aint no ticks on me, no there aint no ticks on me. Well there may be ticks on some of you chicks, but there aint no ticks on me.



Down here in Arkieland, we call those little tiny ones, seed ticks. There are times, if you rub yer leg agin the wrong blade of grass, that THOUSANDS of them will get on you! TUcking your pants leg is helps , but only a little. Godd bug spray is the ebst thing. Lots n LOTS on yer shoes & lower legs, & also aroung yer waist & sleeve openings. Then do a thourou\gh check when you sack out. Also, they have a corkscrew little mouth biter thing, so when you pluck them, use a counterclockwise rotation as you pull & they come out easier & it is less likely that you'll break off the head inside you. Any ticks that are pulled off alive may be sent to Crazy Mike's.”

“Never heard that Strat. Is that just the little deer ticks or both?”

“geo, seed ticks are about the size of a celery seed..... and then bury themselves into your skin”

“Right, same as deer ticks. But Stratdewd had said they have a corkscrew apparatus and should be twisted out counter-clockwise and that's the question I was trying to ask. Might not have been clear.”

“Ya bitting flys!!!!

Now they suck!!!!!

8(”

“As in no-see-ums! Get 'em off the face of the planet!”

“No doubt that ticks, given their near invisibility and potential for damage are the most insidious.

But if you phantasize about the hirsute undersides of a porcupine crawling across your face at night, I can recommend several "leantos" as they are called locally, or shelters in the Catskills.

Is scatophagerery (sp.?) part of your fantasy? Then stop at the Diamond Notch leanto and inhale deeply. There is plenty of what you crave on the pineboard floor for rubbing or whatever purpose you can devise. I hate frakin' porkies, though.”

“"are you friggin nuts, with all the insects, mice, dirt, diseases that are out there".

That what my former wife used to say to me.

Can you say D I V O R C E? thats what I said to her.”

“Both kinds dood, all ticks do the corkscrew thing. I was sceptical when I first heard it, but I tried it and it really does seem to make them release a little easier. The tiny seed ticks are just hard to get ahold of sometimes, especially..........you know...........down there, on that extra soft skin. I have to use tweezers once inna while. FOR THE TICKS I MEAN! No wise cracks please. lol, I beat ya'll to it. Ya bunch of gutter minded wise-asses!”

“Stratdewd, I just want you to know that your discussion here about the deer ticks caused me to have nightmares all last night. WHy I don't know, but I really HATE ticks! Anyway I took the family dayhiking today, and look MA, no ticks! So my subconcious tortured me for nothing. I had Lyme disease a couple of years ago, and hiking has given me my health back, so I do it but I still hate those bloodsuckers.”

“I was hiking today in Charles Deam Wilderness and there were lots of ticks everywhere and I thought to myslef well they are better the biteing flys landing on me at least I can knock ticks off before they bite me.

Long live the tick!

Dam the bitting fly!!!!!!

8)”

“I lived in upstate New York for a short period of time in a lovely rural apartment. I asked my landlords about hiking and they said, "Yeah, there's lots of ticks here, we haven't gotten Lyme's disease -- yet." Jeez! Welcome to the neighborhood!”

“Now would be a good time to remind everyone who likes to go to the Sipsey Wilderness, that it is a tick farm in the summer...”

“Ticks, no-see-ums, black flies, and mosquitoes are, no doubt about it, the most pestiferous critters extent in the wilds.
I bought some of Sawyers' Broad Spectrum repellant which contains DEET for mosquitoes and Ticks and another ingredient for no-see-ums (biting midges). Have not had a chance to test it in no-see-um country, but hope to find out soon.
No-see-ums only fly up to 300 feet from water where they are hatched. Get a football field away from water and they should not be a problem.
Mosquitoes seem to be everywhere, but I've not seen them at the 4,000 foot mark here in the east.
Ticks can be anywhere, and in deer country and coon country, expect both kinds.
Black flies occur from northern Pennsylvania northward from late May through about June.
Mosquitoes seem to disappear in late August.
Thanks Strat for the corkscrew info. I'll keep that in mind for my next battle in the war of the bloodsuckers.
Interesting that none wilderness folks think bears and snakes were the meanest critters in the universe but the hikers know otherwise.”

“HEY! How did I get the rap for this? I didn't create this parasitic post.



But while were on the subject....my 4 year old got a tick, on his earlobe, a few weeks ago. We didn't notice the tick and took him to preschool(we figure he got the tick from buckshot, our pooch). He started itching it at school and the teacher found the tick but would not remove it because of shcool rules. When I picked him up that afternoon, she showed me the tick, which I promptly removed. The next morning, his poor little ear was at least 3 times larger than normal. He looked like he was wearing one of those toy rubber ears. WE FREEKED! Took him to the doctor & he prescribed antibiotics & guessed that it was just an infection type thing. The swelling went down over the next couple of days. We were pretty upset with the school for not removing it, or at least calling us, so we could remove it.”

“They're so hamstrung at schools it isn't funny. Comes from being sued so much.
That is another risk about ticks, just plain infection. Infection, I guess, it really the biggest danger, but hardly the least.
Wasn't blaming the string on you Strat, just thanking you for posting the corkscrew info in response to a question I posed. Every little bit of information helps.”

“I was blaming Stratdewd, but in fun. His description of those poppy seed ticks, thousands of them, got my nightmares going. I used to have an outdoor cat, and he would come in with dozens of those things hanging on his face. He died before I got my bad case of Lyme, but when I got two kitties from the shelter, the tick visual had me making them into indoor cats.”

“Pets can be a problem. I'm allergic to cats and an apt is no place for a dog, so I don't have to worry about critters, other than the frickin squirrels digging up my planters and tomato plants. Wish the dam ticks would take care of them. They won't cross the road, so that option is out.”

“I had a loony squirrel who would chew on the floor boards of the front porch. He was really sorry looking, and that was before he ingested the paint.”

“It's wierd, ticks up here in the Northeast just don't like me. I never get them, and I'm in the woods every weekend. Down in Florida, sure they love me, got them all the time growing up, but up here.. nope. If that's their way of protesting having a southerner in their neck of the woods, so be it.”

“Its like I said before I would rather put up with ticks then the other bugs that bit real fast.It takes a tick some time to get into but man them dam flyes they cut right too the chase and bite right away!

8|”

“If only the birds would eat the ticks that eat the blackflies that eat the mosquitos that eat the no-see-ums we'd all be better off.”

“Mike, I think yer onto something because I usually feel a tick trying to bite me. In fact, I usually feel them crawling on me. I think it's some sort of defense mechanism I have developed. Chiggars are a different story altogether. Chiggars are the spawn of satan himself! !”

“I got two of those blood sucking bastards, today.”

“That they are.

8|”

“......Well if we are talking about bugs there is a bug that I like alot the walking stick!!!!They are so cool.I caught one once that was about 8 inches long it was way cool.

8)”

“So like I live in pretty much bug free country but I paid attention to some bug threads last year because I was going hiking in the bug infested east. I bought permethrin (sp) and did all my clothes and shoes and hat and I bought a bug net and put bug goo on every exposed inch of me. Did not have to use the bug net but it makes a good lightweight bag for your clothes.”

“walking sticks are way cool mike! especially when your trippin real hard on shrooms......












oops, was that outloud?”

“MaryPhyl, did you have any problem with the Permethrin damaging the fabric of your clothes? Is it supposed to be safe for kids? My daughter had a bad rash after I used Skintastic spray on her (it is for kids, darn it!). So I need to spot test bug repellents on her.”

“I've used permethrin for clothing without any damage at all. I don't know how effective it really is, but I use it just in case it helps, along with whatever other skin repellant I need.
It is always good to spot test any repellant beforehand just to be safe, especially with kids. Nothing worse than a rash all over, better in just a small area.
Some DEET repellants will mess up plastics, like watch faces, glasses, and even lenses of minimag lights that were lying around where I stupidly sprayed.”

“I still hate chiggers the most. You don't know you have them 'til after they're gone.”

“Thanks Geobeet! I've used the skintastic on the kids for years, but this year she is allergic to it. So I have to spot test things every spring I guess.”

“Allergies are always subject to coming and going. Yeah, I'd do that every spring, and actually before every trip if she's that bad off. Nothing worse than a kid suffering from an allergic skin rash. You might even discuss the issue with a doctor and see whether there is something that might work without causing an allergic reaction. I would doubt that, since the active ingredient is probably what's causing the reaction, but worth asking the question.”

“Went on a day hike at LBL yesterday. Brought 5 ticks back home with me...ewwwww.”

“MOMMA!! I just had the pleasure of finding a tick cruising around on MY BUTT!!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!”

“And now I've pulled TWO MORE OFF!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!! I AM NOT LIKING THIS!!!

I have never in my life had a tick attach itself to me. This must be a bad tick year. (Or am I just going more "woodsy" places??)”

“went hikin yesterday. found a few crawlers but no stickers. we put skintastic all over our skin, and then sprayed off on our boots n socks.”

“Lizs, that's part and parcel of life on the trail. Deal with it. Sorry, I'm a realist, not a philosopher.”

“If I must say the ticks down in Hoosier National Forest are bad this year!!!!

They were everywhere!!!!

....But me! Flicked some off but I never gave them a chance to dig in!

8)”