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 “Ticks can carry diseases like Lyme disease, spotted fever, and
ehrlichiosis, while mosquitoes can carry West Nile virus,” said
Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Nirav D. Shah,
M.D., J.D. “These diseases can cause anywhere from mild to severe
illness, and even death in some cases. To protect yourself from
both, use insect repellent that contains DEET and follow some simple
precautions.”
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, disease
cases from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled in the U.S.
during the 13 years from 2004 through 2016. Reported cases from
mosquito and tick bites in Illinois have increased by more than half
(58%) from 2005 to 2016.
Ticks
Many tick-borne diseases have similar symptoms. The most common
symptoms can include fever, chills, aches and pains, and rash.
Within two weeks following a tick bite, if you experience a rash
that looks like a bull’s-eye or a rash anywhere on your body, or an
unexplained illness accompanied by fever, contact your doctor. Early
recognition and treatment of the infection decreases the risk of
serious complications. Tell your health care provider the geographic
area in which you were bitten or traveled to help identify the
disease based on ticks in that region.
A fairly new virus called Bourbon virus has been associated with
tick bites and has been found in a limited number of cases in the
Midwest and southern U.S. People diagnosed with Bourbon virus
disease have symptoms including fever, fatigue, rash, headache,
other body aches, nausea, and vomiting. They also had low blood
counts for cells that fight infection and help prevent bleeding.
Some people who were infected later died.
Ticks are commonly found on the tips of grasses and shrubs. Ticks
crawl?they cannot fly or jump. The tick will wait in the grass or
shrub for a person or animal to walk by and then quickly climb
aboard. Some ticks will attach quickly and others will wander,
looking for places like the ear, or other areas where the skin is
thinner.
Simple tips to avoid ticks bites include:
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Wear
light-colored, protective clothing—long-sleeved shirts, pants,
boots or sturdy shoes, and a head covering. Treat clothing with
products containing 0.5 percent permethrin.
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Apply insect repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET,
picaridin, or IR3535 on exposed skin for protection that lasts
several hours.
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Walk
in the center of trails so grass, shrubs, and weeds do not brush
against you.
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Check yourself, children, other family members, and pets for
ticks every two to three hours.
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Remove any tick promptly by grasping it with tweezers, as close
to the skin as possible and gently, but firmly, pulling it
straight out. Wash your hands and the tick bite site with soap
and water.
Mosquitoes
The most common mosquito-borne illness in Illinois is West Nile
virus. West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of an
infected Culex pipiens, or “house” mosquito. Mild cases of West Nile
virus infections may cause a slight fever or headache. More severe
infections are marked by a rapid onset of a high fever with head and
body aches, disorientation, tremors, convulsions and, in the most
severe cases, paralysis or death. Symptoms usually occur from 3 to
14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. However, four out of
five people infected with West Nile virus will not show any
symptoms. People older than 50 are at higher risk for severe illness
from West Nile Virus.
There are some simple precautions you can take to Fight the Bite.
Precautions include practicing the three “R’s” – reduce, repel and
report.
REDUCE - make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting
screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other
openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut.
Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standing water where
mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds,
flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other containers.
REPEL - when outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a
long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that contains DEET,
picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535, according to label
instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on
infants.
REPORT – report locations where you see water sitting
stagnant for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded
yards, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The local
health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to
the water, which will kill any mosquito eggs.
Additional information about ticks and mosquitoes can be found on
the IDPH website.
[Illinois Department of Public
Health]
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