[at-l] Fw: when a tick bites in the wilderness

[daveh at psknet.com (Dave Hicks)]

Forwarded as requested.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Orange Bug" <orangebug74@yahoo.com>
To: <ChrisTorstenson@aol.com>
Cc: "David Addleton" <dfaddleton@worldnet.att.net>; "Linda Benschop"
<lvb@mindspring.com>; "Linda Benschop" <athummingbird@tds.net>; "Chainsaw"
<daveh@psknet.com>; "Connie" <daredhead@aol.com>; "Fannypack"
<fp@hikercafe.com>; "kahley" <kahley@ptd.net>; "landslide"
<landslides2@webtv.net>; "Ann Pfeil" <alohaann01@aol.com>
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2003 10:45 AM
Subject: when a tick bites in the wilderness


Ideally, you will want to deal with the tick bite long before
you get the bulls eye rash. The rash is classic, but far from
diagnostic for Lyme, as many will get the disease without the
rash.

As the deer tick is particularly small (look at the M on a
dime), your best bet is to make yourself a less hospitable host
to the little predetor. DEET and Permethrine are designed to
reduce your taste to the tick, not to kill the critter. DEET is
probably easier to apply and manage, but both work. Permethrine
can be found in dog collars and the like, but human skin
contains enzymes that rapidly deteriorate Permethrine. Dogs
don't sweat.

Possibly the best line of defense is to take a sponge/bandana
bath at least every two days. You are unlikely to see the tick,
but are more likely to dislodge the critter by rubbing and
scrubbing yourself. Tick checks are as famous as any laudable
idea, but no one does them. You will not want to be that close
to an unwashed hiker to recognize a deer tick.

To follow up on another response, do not be reassured by the
size of the tick that you find embedded on yourself. Small
suckers embedded for 2 to 3 days can give you enough spirochetes
to give you several types of tick borne illnesses. Lyme disease
is one of the more famous but more of an inconvenience compared
to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Keep current on the literature and CDC recommendations,
recalling that most tick borne diseases begin in your backyard.
Many get ill without recognizing a rash, or even recognizing the
source of their fatigue and malaise. If you do a reasonable job
preventing Lyme, you are likely to avoid other insect bites and
stings. Get out there this summer and hone your skills.

Bill....