Some Insects Bite That Can Harm

Some Insects Bite That Can Harm: Ticks and Lice: Part 1

Ticks

At the mention of tick, I know most bodies would develop goose pimples. We are quite familiar with dog’s ticks usually found on the body of those unkempt dogs.

Of recent in US, ticks has been causing a lots of medical harms but the ticks in question are not from dogs (God saves Nigerians!)

Investigations reveal that it was a tiny deer tick which infects with a spiral-shaped bacterium or spirochete (named Borrelia burgdorferi) which is presently responsible for the outbreak of arthritis abroad .It is called Lyme disease.

Lyme disease was first recognized in the year 1975 when a group of researchers investigated the unusual sickness in large numbers of children who were later diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Lyme disease spread has been attributed to the recent growth of the deer population in the northeast and the building of suburban developments in rural areas where deer ticks are commonly found. Recent Lyme outbreak has been reported in nearly all states in US, although most cases are concentrated in the coastal northeast, Mid-Atlantic States, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and northern California. Lyme disease is also found in large areas of Asia and Europe. Recent reports suggest that it is also present in South America.

The disease is transmitted after the tick bites. These ticks can be found on animals like mice, deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, weasels, foxes, shrews, moles, chipmunks, squirrels, and horses. The majority of these ticks have been found in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Common sign of infection is an expanding area of redness, known as erythema migrans, that begins at the site of a tick bite about a week after it has occurred. The rash is typically neither itchy nor painful. About 25% of people do not develop this rash. Other early symptoms may include fever, headache, and feeling tired. If untreated, symptoms may include loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pains, severe headaches with neck stiffness, or heart palpitations, among others. Months to years later, repeated episodes of joint pain and swelling may occur. Occasionally, people develop shooting pains or tingling in their arms and legs.

Despite appropriate treatment, about 10 to 20% of people also develop joint pains, have memory problems, and feel tired much of the time

In addition to causing arthritis, Lyme disease can also cause heart, brain, and nerve problems. More subtle changes such as memory loss, difficulty with concentration, and a change in mood or sleeping habits have also been associated with Lyme disease.

Nervous system abnormalities usually develop several weeks, months, or even years following an untreated infection. These symptoms often last for weeks or months and may recur. These features of Lyme disease usually start to resolve even before antibiotics are started. Patients with neurologic disease usually have a total return to normal function.

Other symptoms, less commonly, Lyme disease can result in eye inflammation and severe fatigue, although none of these problems is likely to appear without other Lyme disease symptoms being present.

Lyme disease imitates a variety of illnesses and its severity can vary from person to person. ‘If you have been bitten by a tick and live in an area known to have Lyme disease, see your doctor right away so that a proper diagnose can be made and treatment started’, experts said.