If you enjoy the outdoors, you have probably had an encounter with some sort of tick. Aside from being disgusting and itchy, these little parasites have been known to cause Lyme disease, a severe illness if left untreated.
Now a new tick-borne illness has been discovered across the country, and this new one can kill you.
This new disease is named babesiosis, and is carried by the deer tick. The deer tick is also the carrier of Lyme disease. Symptoms of babesiosis are very similar to the flu, including high fever, severe headache, fatigue, chills, and muscle aches and pains. This illness is the result of a tiny parasite that attacks blood cells, and as such can be treated with anti-microbial drugs such as antibiotics.
A recent study produced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the cases of babesiosis increased 20-fold between 2001 and 2008, and these are only the confirmed cases. Since the symptoms are so similar to the flu, many people never seek treatment and simply decide to ride it out. This can be very dangerous, since appropriate action toward killing the parasites must be taken or it can become a life threatening situation.
“I think it’s underreported. One of the reasons we’re seeing more about it is because people are becoming more aware,” said Dr. Peter Krause, a babesiosis researcher and senior research scientist at the Yale University School of Public Health. “The theory is that it’s spreading from east to west, as if you were dropping a pebble in a pond and it spread outward geographically.”
As with many illnesses, elderly people and those who are already suffering from other illnesses such as cancer or auto-immune disorders are at much greater risk than people who are in good health. A strong immune system can usually fight off babesiosis. However about 20 percent of people in these high risk groups die as a result of the disease.
Your best bet to avoid this illness is to avoid the ticks themselves. Ticks thrive in warm, moist, wooded areas. Try to avoid thick brushy woods, or if you must travel there be sure to wear long pants and sleeves. Treat you clothes with DEET and Permethrin to repel the ticks before you enter their environment.
After a time outdoors, be sure to shower and check yourself for ticks. You can often find them crawling on you before they have a chance to bite, thus preventing any chance of infection. Also, put your clothes in a hot dryer in order to kill any that may have hitched a ride on your clothing.
Be cautious this summer as you enjoy the outdoors, and you will have no reason to worry about this new deadly disease.
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