Keep ticks on your mind... and off of you
The debilitating illness of former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan last year has helped draw attention to a rare but serious tick-borne disease known as Powassan virus.
But with a warm winter helping to produce what could be one of the worst tick seasons in years, health officials say there are other, more common tick-borne illnesses to worry about, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Of the roughly 800 cases of tick-borne illnesses reported the state in 2016, Hagan’s was the only case of Powassan – and she contracted it in Virginia, according to Alexis Barbarin, public health entomologist with the state Division of Public Health.
“I think there are more pressing diseases that we should worry about, but if that (Powassan virus) is what brings more awareness to ticks and tick-borne illness, then maybe it’s a good thing,” Barbarin said. “But we also don’t want to freak people out.”
Hagan was rushed to a Washington, D.C., hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit last December, where the cause of her acute illness and encephalitis was at first a mystery. Only a few months into her recovery were doctors able to confirm that she had contracted Powassan virus.
Named for a town in Ontario, the Powassan virus is considered more dangerous and life-threatening than other tick-borne diseases. Symptoms are non-specific, including fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, speech difficulties and seizures. Most people who become infected do not experience any symptoms, but of those who do, about 15 percent eventually die from the disease, and half of those who survive experience long-term neurological damage from encephalitis and meningitis. Powassan virus has no specific treatment, other than managing symptoms.
Powassan virus remains extremely rare, with only 75 cases confirmed nationwide in the decade ending 2015. The majority of those cases have occurred in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions, but Powassan-carrying ticks appear to be extending their range and could one day reach North Carolina, Barbarin said.
“Over the past few decades, tick-borne illness has expanded geographically, particularly using Lyme as an example, which started in the Northeast and has gradually moved in the southwestern fashion,” she said.
May through July is prime tick season in North Carolina. The state is home to its fair share of disease-carrying ticks, including the Lone Star tick, American dog tick , Gulf Coast tick and the black-legged tick, so people should always take proper precautions to protect themselves, health officials say.
Barbarin says the best method of protection is to avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grasses, but she acknowledges that this is not always easy to do.
“North Carolina is an awesome state,” she said. “There’s plenty of woody places that people like to explore, so people do want to go outdoors.”
Jeremy Frieling: 919-829-4610
Protect yourself
▪ Wear long sleeves and long pants, and if possible, tuck your pant legs into your socks.
▪ Use repellant that contains DEET, picardin, or IR3535. For extra protection, clothing, boots, and gear can be treated with permethrin before dressing. Some savvy outdoors adventurers even carry travel-sized lint rollers to periodically remove ticks from their clothing.
▪ Once you return indoors, bathe or shower and perform a full-body check for ticks. Check your children and pets, too. If you spot one, remove it promptly. Rocky Mountain spotted fever takes between 2 and 24 hours to be transmitted to humans, while Lyme disease takes 30 to 72 hours, so there is plenty of time to prevent the most common illnesses.
▪ To remove a tick, grasp it with a pair of fine tweezers near the skin and simply pull upward with smooth, even pressure.
▪ Clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol, soap and water, or iodine.
▪ If the tick is still alive, it can be killed by submersing it in alcohol, flushing down the toilet, or wrapping it securely in tape before throwing it in the trash. Monitor the bite area and contact your doctor if you develop a rash or fever.
This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Keep ticks on your mind... and off of you."