[KellyMarie]

If you live in a south central state like I do, then you are already aware of the dangers of ticks...please take warnings about tick borne diseases seriously! My oldest son, Johanthon has tularemia (rabbit fever). His temperature is currently 104.5 degrees! Luckily, we immediately recognized his symptoms...because believe it or not, My 16 year old Joshua had tularemia when he was 8, back in 1997. We did not know what was ailing Joshua and he was mis-diagnosed as having a brown-recluse (a small spider) bite. We almost lost him...he carried a 104+ fever for 21 consecutive days, and had it not been for a very knowledgeable staff at AR Children's Hospital, we may have lost him. Joshua had to have surgery and a catheter to his heart, where lethal amounts of antibiotic were delivered to him. Johnathon is much luckier..he is on oral meds and home. He told his doctor he really could not afford a hospital stay, he has no insurance. So, his doctor has him following strict instructions for home care. I am attatching some facts about tularemia....it is not a common disease, but, after 2 episodes of it in my family, I feel it is important enough to share.

Protecting Your Family Against Tick-Borne Diseases in Arkansas -- Arkansas Children's Hospital Offers Tips for Safe Removal


Publication Date: 6/5/2003


(Little Rock, Arkansas – June 5, 2003) – Arkansans see more of the state’s tick population from mid April to October, however tick season is basically year round, especially if the winter season has been mild.

Although Lyme disease is the leading tick-borne disease in the United States, cases are more prevalent in the northeastern, upper Midwestern and Pacific Northwest areas of the country. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) considers the southeastern states a low-risk area.

“There may be other cousins of the Lyme germ that give you a similar rash, but there does not seem to be the same long term side effects as with Lyme disease,” says Gordon Schutze, M.D., a pediatrician with Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) and professor of Pediatrics and Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Those cases are typically seen in southern Missouri.

The most common diseases borne from ticks in Arkansas are Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis and tularemia, two of which can be fatal. These diseases are transmitted from lone star, wood and dog ticks.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

In 2001, 54 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever were reported to the Arkansas Department of Health. Symptoms include:

Headache

Fever

Muscle aches and pains

Rash (about five days after the bite)

Rocky Mountain spotted fever carries a mortality of 2 to 3 percent if treated.

If not treated, the chance of death increases after six days. In severe cases, a person’s organs would simply shut down.

Erlichiosis

The danger and symptoms of erlichiosis are very similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever. With erlichiosis, a rash may start on the wrists or ankles. The CDC says Searcy County, Arkansas has the highest incidence of Erlichiosis in the nation.

Tularemia

“There is no other state in the country that sees more cases of tularemia than Arkansas,” says Schutze. Although this disease is rarely fatal, the symptoms can be quite severe. They include:

Fever

Swollen lymph node closest to area of tick bite (neck or groin)

Ulcerated lesion around bite

Tick Removal
The safest method of tick removal is by removing the parasite with tweezers as quickly as possible. Disease is spread through the tick’s saliva, excrement or regurgitation. Do not cover the tick with alcohol, nail polish or light a match to the body of the tick, this only aggravates the parasite, and increases the chance for disease to be spread. Ticks should not be squeezed after removal in order to prevent diseases from spreading to fingers which could spread in a person’s eye or open wound.

Only 5 percent of ticks carry diseases than can be spread to humans or animals, and individuals may have different responses to tick bites.

Keeping Kids Safe

Children between the ages of five and 9 years old are typically most at-risk for tick bites since they are frequently outdoors and play near wooded areas. The best protection for children is to use an insect repellant up to, but not more than, 30 percent DEET. Parents can spray their child’s skin and clothes with repellant. The face and hand areas should be avoided and children younger than one year should probably not wear repellant. If repellants are used in these young children, they should not remain on the skin more than four-to-six hours. Children and pets should always be closely inspected when coming indoors after playing outside.

[skyesmom]

Thanks for the info! The ticks are back here too! Hope Jonathon is better soon.

[KellyMarie]

Here is some more:

TULAREMIA

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is it?

Tularemia (too-luh-REE-me-uh) is caused by a bacteria (back-TEER-e-uh) (germ) called Francisella (fran-sis-EL-la) tularensis (too-lar-EN-sis). It is also called rabbit fever or deer-fly fever. Tularemia is a disease of small animals like voles, mice, water rats, squirrels, rabbits, hares, and muskrats. There are several ways tularemia passes from animal to animal, and animal to human. A common way is by insects. Ticks, flies, and mosquitoes may bite an infected animal and carry the germ with them. The germ is transferred when the insect bites another animal or a human being. Humans can also get tularemia by handling animal skins, and eating meat from animals infected with the disease. Other ways humans get tularemia are from infected water, food, and soil. Humans can get tularemia from an aerosol (dust or spray). This can happen by sweeping areas where infected animals lived or died.


Tularemia is usually a disease of rural areas. Tularemia has been reported in every U.S. state except Hawaii. Tularemia is most common in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Montana, and on Martha's Vineyard.


Tularemia germs can live for a very long time in below-zero temperatures. Freezing meat from infected animals does not kill tularemia germs. The germs are easily killed by heat and disinfectants.

Is tularemia contagious? Tularemia is not contagious. It cannot be passed from one person to another in the same way as colds or flu. You get tularemia by eating, drinking, touching, breathing dust from, or being bitten by, an animal or insect carrying the germ.

What are the signs and symptoms of tularemia? There are 6 types of tularemia. Symptoms depend on how and where the germ enters your body. It is possible to get pneumonia with all types of tularemia.

Ulceroglandular (ull-sir-oh-GLAN-dew-lar): This is by far the most common type of tularemia. It is usually caused by a tick bite. There is usually a skin sore where the person was bitten. The sore is red, hard, does not heal, and looks "punched out". Then the sore becomes an ulcer (ULL-sir). The skin is gone over the top of the sore and it becomes red and open-looking. The ulcer develops a black base. Glands in the area of the ulcer swell. Children usually have swollen glands in the head and neck because that is where they are usually bitten. Adults usually have swollen glands in the groin area (the place where the top of the leg meets the abdomen). Adults are more often bitten on the legs by ticks. Other symptoms of this type of tularemia are fever, chills, headache, and tiredness.


Glandular (GLAND-dew-lar): This is the second most common type of tularemia. In glandular tularemia the symptoms are fever and sore, swollen glands. There is no obvious ulcer.


Typhoidal (tie-FOY-dul): This type is usually caused by breathing in the tularemia germ, but may also be caused by being bitten by an insect. You may also eat or drink something (meat, soil, water) with the tularemia germ in it. Symptoms of typhoidal tularemia include fever, extreme tiredness, and weight loss. Your glands will not be swollen with this type of tularemia. Almost everyone with this type of tularemia also has pneumonia.


Oculoglandular (ock-u-low-GLAN-dew-lar): This type of tularemia is caused by the germ getting into the eye area. It can happen by touching your eyes with hands that have the tularemia germ on them. It can also happen if fluid is splattered into the eye area or if the germ is sprayed into the eye area. With this kind of tularemia you will have an eye infection in one eye. Pus will come from the eye area. The glands in your neck will be swollen. The area around your eye will be swollen, too. The inside eyelid area may have an ulcer.


Oropharyngeal (or-o-fair-n-GEE-ul): This type of tularemia is caused by the germ getting into your mouth or throat. Your throat will be sore and the glands in your neck will be swollen. Your throat will make a lot of phlegm (flem).


Pneumonic (new-MON-ick): This type of tularemia can be caused in two ways. You can get it by inhaling the tularemia germ, usually as a dust or spray. You can also get it with another type of tularemia.

How is tularemia treated? Several antibiotics (an-ti- bi-AH-tiks) work well on tularemia. Make sure to follow your caregiver's advice about taking antibiotics. Tularemia can be hard to get rid of if your antibiotics are not strong enough, or you do not take them long enough. Tularemia symptoms may go away while you are taking antibiotics, making you believe that you are disease-free. The symptoms may then come back a week or so later.

Is there a vaccine for tularemia? There is a vaccine for tularemia, although it is not always available. For the vaccine to work, you must have it before you are exposed to the germ. Since 1990, less than 200 cases have been reported in the U.S. on average each year. Because tularemia is so rare, the vaccine is only given to people who will be directly exposed to the germ. The vaccine should protect you from natural tularemia. Once you have had tularemia, you will not get it again.

What should I do if I am exposed to tularemia? Notify your caregiver right away if you are exposed to tularemia. If you are not having symptoms, your caregiver may want you to take antibiotics to keep you from getting sick. If you are already having symptoms, your caregiver may want you to be in the hospital.

What is the risk of an outbreak?

Outbreaks in humans usually follow animal outbreaks. You are more likely to get tularemia if you hunt, trap, butcher animals, or live on a farm.


In the 1950's and 60's the United States made weapons that could spray tularemia on large numbers of people. All the U.S. weapons using tularemia were destroyed by 1973. It is possible that other countries have developed the same kind of weapons. Those weapons may still exist.


In case of a biological attack, it would take between 1 and 14 days to have symptoms of tularemia. The usual time is 3-5 days. An attack would probably come in spray form and cause typhoidal or pneumonic tularemia.

Where can I get more information about tularemia?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 1-404-639-3311
Phone: 1-800-311-3435
Web Address: http://www.cdc.gov

[RainJ]

Ugh how scary is that you know how bad we have ticks at our house. It seems like i am always picking a tick off one of the kids some where.

[Kmchamplin]

"Ulceroglandular (ull-sir-oh-GLAN-dew-lar): This is by far the most common type of tularemia. It is usually caused by a tick bite. There is usually a skin sore where the person was bitten. The sore is red, hard, does not heal, and looks "punched out". Then the sore becomes an ulcer (ULL-sir). The skin is gone over the top of the sore and it becomes red and open-looking. The ulcer develops a black base. Glands in the area of the ulcer swell. Children usually have swollen glands in the head and neck because that is where they are usually bitten. Adults usually have swollen glands in the groin area (the place where the top of the leg meets the abdomen). Adults are more often bitten on the legs by ticks. Other symptoms of this type of tularemia are fever, chills, headache, and tiredness."

Do you think this can happen with a dog?

[Shopz2Much]

Supposedly tobacco plants keep deer away (which carry a lot of ticks). I don't know a lot about it - but thought I'd pass that along in case you want to google it.

[Barb]

Oh Kelly, just what you all need!! I think something is in the air. My oldest DS was just diagnosed with MONO!

[KellyMarie]

Today he can barely walk...the tick bite was between his toes....the bite is full of puss and red and swollen. He said his urine is dark brown and we called the doctor and he said that is not normal..so tommorrow morning he is going in for a urine test. What is normal is his leg is in severe pain and his scrotum and thigh are swollen....because that is where the lymphnodes are located. My other son had to have his lymphnodes removed because of the advanced stages the disease got to before it was diagnosed. Good news, fever is down to 102.
Barb, hope your son gets to feeling better

[KellyMarie]

Fever broke Sunday morning...leg still hurts and he is still swollen, sore is still nasty, but urine cleared up nd he is in a better mood.

Karen....I am pretty sure dogs can get sick from ticks...not necessarily the same diseases as us, but any parasite can make any animal ill.

Shopz2much....I have heard about the tobacco thing...but, remember, this is Arkansas.....home of redneck deer hunter heaven...hubby has 4 acres of foilage planted justfor the deer

[Angie]

Guinea Hens are the only thing that I have heard of to cut back on ticks. Glad your son is getting better.

[Kmchamplin]

It's good to hear that your son's fever has gone down. Prayers are still going out to him.

My dog was bit by a tick and it ended up being an open sore and hard. Thankfully, it scabbed over after we put meds on it.