Tick Borne Illnesses
What You Need to Know
- Tick ID
- Overview of Tickborne Diseases
- Lyme Disease
- Tickborne Relapsing Fever (TBRF)
- Hard Tick Relapsing Fever
- Anaplasmosis
- Ehrlichiosis
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
- Rickettsia parkeri Rickettsiosis
- Tularemia
- Babesiosis
- Heartland and Bourbon Virus Diseases
- Colorado Tick Fever
- Powassan Virus Disease
- Lyme Disease Prophylaxis After Tick Bite
- Wear an EPA registered insect repellent
- Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin
- Check for ticks often
- Shower soon after being out doors
- Put clothing in the dryer for 10 minutes after being outdoors to kill ticks
The most common symptoms of tick-related illnesses include:
- Fever/chills. All tickborne diseases can cause fever.
- Aches and pains. Tickborne diseases can cause headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease may also have joint pain.
- Rash. Lyme disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, and tularemia can cause distinctive rashes.
Your healthcare provider should evaluate the following before deciding on a plan for treatment:
- Your symptoms,
- the geographic region where you were bitten, and
- lab tests, depending on the symptoms and the geographic region where you were bitten.
- Use clean, 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 cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
- After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by
- Putting it in alcohol,
- Placing it in a sealed bag/container,
- Wrapping it tightly in tape, or
- Flushing it down the toilet.
