Tiny But Fatal...Ticks' Attack This Summer Would Be Our Greatest Fear!

After a rather severe winter for many countries this year summer is eventually closer...unfortunately we won't be that trouble free as a great threat is coming with it! Ticks and their deadly bites!

Don’t just worry about Lyme disease this summer—Powassan virus is also spread by ticks, and doctors say it could be much more dangerous.

Ticks in the Northeast and around the Great Lakes are carrying the Powassan virus, which can cause encephalitis and meningitis, leaving about half of survivors with permanent neurological symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10% of Powassan virus cases are fatal.

Doctors claim that symptoms of Powassan are similar to Lyme disease, but much more severe, and that the patients can start exhibiting symptoms—including vomiting, fever, confusion and weakness—just minutes after infection. There is no known treatment or cure.

Currently, approximately ten percent of cases have led to death, with only 50 people affected in the U.S. each year (compared to the roughly 20,000 people who are affected by Lyme disease).

Although contracting the disease is quite rare, because of the possible fatality, doctors are urging people to do everything they can to prevent being infected. For people who work outdoors or camp in any of the affected areas, the chance of becoming infected is much higher.

Prevention of Lyme Disease

First line of defense is decreasing the probability of tick bites. Ticks can be vectors of other infections, in addition to Lyme disease.

- Avoidance of tick habitat (brushy, overgrown grassy, and woody areas) particularly in spring and early summer when young ticks feed.

- Removal of leaves, tall grass, and brush from areas around work areas or residential areas to decrease tick as well as host (deer and rodent) habitat.

- Application of tick-toxic chemicals to surrounding work or residential areas in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations and community standards.

Personal Protection

- Wearing light-colored clothing (to more easily see ticks).

- Wearing long-sleeved shirts, tucking pant legs into socks or boots (delays ticks from reaching skin so they can be more easily found before attaching).

- Wearing high boots or closed shoes covering entire foot.

- Wearing a hat.

- Using appropriate insect repellants on non-facial skin and permethrin on clothes (kills ticks) in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

- Showering and washing/drying clothes at high temperature after outdoor exposure.

- Doing a careful body check for ticks, prompt removal with tweezers and skin cleansing with antiseptic.

Credits: CBS New York

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