Signs and symptoms of tick-borne disease

Signs and symptoms of tick-borne disease


Tick borne diseases affect humans and other animals are caused by infected agents that are transmitted by tick bites. These agents are very harmful as they carry various infections as a single tick can carry more than one disease causing agent. Proper diagnosis is not available for tick borne diseases. Ticks are more active during warmer months. Area surrounded by woods, bushes, high grass, or leaf litter are likely to have more ticks. Wearing light clothing, using insect repellent, checking for ticks frequently, washing and drying clothes, etc. Another form of control is keeping a guinea-fowl that consumes large amounts of ticks.

Major tick-borne disease are Relapsing fever, Typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Tick-borne meningoencephalitis, borreliosis,  Colorado tick fever, Tick paralysis, Q fever, etc. For a person to get a tick-borne disease they must get bitten by a tick that feeds for a sufficient time. One must keep a constant check on pets as they might carry these ticks. Rashes and aches are caused due to tick bites which may cause tremendous amounts of discomfort. Regularly bathing and cleanliness is a must. Keeping your home and its surroundings clean is another useful way of avoiding ticks. A crawling tick does not transmit anything, it is only when it bites for a period of time, is when there is a possibility of a disease being transmitted.

If we find a tick on clothing, pets, children, we must use a narrow tipped tweezers and grasp it as close to the skin as possible, then slowly and steadily pull upwards. If the mouth is still attached to the skin, we must try to remove it. Most tick-borne diseases are caused by bacteria and can be treated with antibiotics but it is important to diagnose the problem early, to avoid any complications. There are various types of ticks such as Blacklegged ticks or Deer ticks, American Dog ticks, Lone Star ticks, Gulf Coast Tick, Rocky Mountain Wood ticks, Rocky Mountain Wood ticks, Pacific Coast Tick, Western-Blacklegged Tick, and Cayenne Tick etc.

Signs and symptoms of tick-borne disease are as follows, one must be aware of this in order to take preventive measure well before it's too late and the infection has spread to a worse condition.

 
  • ·         Fever- Sudden rise in body temperature. The body temperature of the affected person may varies from 99°F to 103°F which can only be cured for a short time period by taking pills like Parasitamols.
  • ·         Chills- A cold feeling appears in the body of the person who is affected by this disease.
  • ·         Muscle aches and pains- Muscles hurt and body movements become a problem. The patient feels very much uncomfortable to move one place to another after some days of the exposure of the disease.
  • ·         Headache- Severe head pains with a feeling of uneasiness occurred which may be mild to severe and varies from patient to patient.
  • ·         Nausea- A feeling of sickness with the inclination to vomit is found.
  • ·         Rash- Itchy skin, followed by redness occurred after the bite of the tick which is an important physical sin of this disease.
  • ·         Erythema Migrants- The area surrounding the biting place of tick gets red in colour.

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