Catherine Rusoff
Tick-borne diseases are increasing across the country — and a unique collaboration between hunters and researchers is helping bring more information to light.
Hunters are checking animals they capture for ticks and then sending them to be tested for infections at a program at Baylor University and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
“We work with the hunting population because we think they might be at high risk. And by doing that we realized that they were exposed to all kinds of insects,” said program director Sarah Gunter, Ph.D. “We want to know what the risk is in an area because if we’re going to diagnose people based on symptoms, it’s I need to know that there is a risk for this disease in the area.”
It is a risk that Tony Galbo has been campaigning to create greater awareness of. Her 5-year-old daughter Gabby died more than a decade ago after developing Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a tick-borne disease that wasn’t diagnosed in time to save her.
“It has continued to be ignored. Mandatory reporting, mandatory mapping and public awareness – that’s all I ask for. If we can start doing that, there will be fewer and fewer missed cases,” he said.
Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase in the number of reported cases of Lyme diseasethe most common – but not the only – tick-borne infection in the US
“We are finding that ticks move to new areas,” Gunter said. “Things like changes in the season — so summers getting hotter, summers getting longer, have allowed ticks to move into areas that were perhaps historically too cold for them. People moving into areas where they historically didn’t have people can put individuals in closer contact with animals and wildlife and results in what we call the spread of disease.”
Once you’re back inside, run your clothes through the dryer to kill any ticks and carefully check your body for ticks, experts advise.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says tick bite prevention It is an important step to protect yourself against tick-borne diseases.
The agency suggests avoiding grassy, bushy and wooded areas when you go outdoors and using a EPA Registered Insect Repellent. After going back inside and performing a thorough check, remove any attached ticks immediately.
Use tweezers to grab the tick by the head without squeezing it and lift it out of the skin, removing the entire tick. Save the tick to bring it back for testing.
Getting bitten doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a bite. tick-borne disease, but it’s important to keep an eye on the area after removing a tick or suspected bite. If changes to the area or symptoms such as rash, fever or headache occur, seeing a doctor and receiving treatment soon is essential. Experts note that the eruption may not be the traditional rash often associated with Lyme disease.
“It’s very important to treat immediately to get a good clinical outcome,” Gunter said.
Dr.
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