HEALTH DEPARTMENT ALERTS MISSOURIANS TO THREAT OF TICK-BORNE DISEASES

May 15, 2002
Contact:
Howard Pue, DVM
573/751-6113 or your local health department

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has received increased reports in 2002 of tick-borne diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, and ehrlichiosis. Thirteen Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases have been reported so far this year while eleven cases were reported for the same time period last year. The average number of Rocky Mountain spotted fever reports over the past 5 years is 2 cases per year. Reports of tularemia and ehrlichiosis cases this year also exceed their five-year-averages. As of May 15th, the number of tick-borne diseases reported in Missouri include 13 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, 3 cases of tularemia, 4 cases of ehrlichiosis, and 4 cases of Lyme disease.

"Residents are urged to protect themselves from these diseases by avoiding tick bites and becoming more aware of the symptoms of tick-borne diseases," said Howard Pue, D.V.M., chief of the department's Section of Communicable Disease Control and Veterinary Public Health.

"Individuals who have been bitten by a tick and who are suffering from fever, headache, rash, achy muscles, nausea, vomiting or malaise (a vague feeling of bodily discomfort) should contact their physician for evaluation," Dr. Pue said. "Tick-borne diseases can be effectively treated
with appropriate antibiotics."

People can protect themselves from tick bites by:

• Avoiding tick habitats when possible - tall grass, bushes and woods, particularly along forest edges.
  
• Wearing proper clothing - long pants tucked into the socks or shoes; close-knit clothing fabrics; tight-fitting collars and cuffs; and shirts tucked into the trousers. Light-colored clothing permits easier detection of ticks.
  
• Wearing insect repellents containing diethytolumide (DEET). These can be used on the waistband and cuffs of the trousers as well as on exposed skin areas. Use caution when using DEET on small children. Use DEET and similar products in accordance with label recommendations.
  
• Treating clothing with commercial compounds containing permethrin. Do not use on skin. Permethrin is a contact repellent that not only repels ticks when they crawl on the treated clothing, but kills them soon after. Allow to thoroughly dry before wearing. Do not spray on clothing while wearing.
  
• Keeping pets free of ticks by using powders, dips, and sprays recommended by your veterinarian.
  
• Monitoring yourself and your children immediately after coming indoors. Inspect clothes, undress and check for ticks. It is important to remove a tick as soon as possible after it is discovered. Proper removal is equally important to quick removal. Improper removal may cause disease organisms (if present) to be "inoculated" into the tissues and tick body fluids may also be forced into the bite site in the same manner causing increased risk of disease or infection.
  

To Safely Remove a Tick:

1. Disinfect the site of bite prior to tick removal.
   
2. Grasp the tick close to the skin using tweezers between the "head" and mouthparts.
   
3. Pull upward with steady; even pressure until the tick releases. Do not twist or jerk, as this may cause mouthparts to break off in the skin. This
   may lead to secondary infection much the same as any foreign body in the skin.
   
4. Take care not to squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick, as its fluids may contain infective agents.
   
5. After removing the tick, again thoroughly disinfect the bite site and wash hands with soap and water.
   
6. Dispose of the tick by placing it in a container of alcohol.
7. Do not handle ticks with bare hands, as infectious agents may enter through breaks in the skin or mucous membranes.
   
8. Do not burn or place insect repellents on attached ticks. This may cause the tick to forcibly secrete saliva that may contain disease organisms.
   

Other information on our site regarding tick-borne disease:
West Nile Virus Fact Sheet | Preventing Tick-Borne Exposure | Lyme Disease

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