Tick Caution Urged

August 5, 2011

Ticks with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Mansfield, OH – The Mansfield/Ontario//Richland County Health Department is issuing a warning about Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a disease spread by infected ticks, following a probable human case in Richland County.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a tickborne disease that can cause potentially fatal human illness. It is caused by bacteria transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected tick. In the United States, these include the American dog tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick, and brown dog tick.

Typical symptoms include: fever, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, and muscle pain. A rash may also develop, but is often absent in the first few days, and in some patients, never develops.  Rocky Mountain spotted fever can be a severe or even fatal illness if not treated in the first few days of symptoms. 

The Health Department is urging caution and asks the public to use the following list of guidance:

Preventing Tick Bites

While it is a good idea to take preventive measures against ticks year-round, be extra vigilant in warmer months (April-September) when ticks are most active.

Avoid Direct Contact with Ticks

• Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
• Walk in the center of trails.
  

Repel Ticks with DEET or Permethrin

• Use repellents that contain 20% or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) on the exposed skin 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. It remains protective through several washings. Pre-treated clothing is available and remains protective for up to 70 washings.

Find and Remove Ticks from Your Body

• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are crawling on you.
• 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 clothes in a dryer on high heat for an hour to kill remaining ticks.

Tick Removal

If you find a tick attached to your skin, there's no need to panic. There are several tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers will remove a tick quite effectively.

How to remove a tick

• Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.
• Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
• After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

For more information about ticks, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at: http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html

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