Illnesses from Ticks and other Bugs

[Trendy411]

Although this post may not fit into this particular discussion, I am discussing what may be very important as people start to enter the woods for what ever reasons this coming up season. The question is how many people have or know someone who has gotten an illness from ticks or any other bugs. Please let us know what kind of bug it was and what the illness from it was, and if possible what environment it was such as just back yard garden or deep woods. For those that actually have gone deep into the woods, if you picked up ticks/ bugs how many were you able to find on your body and whether or not you gotten ill. I will post this in other discussions to reach the greatest number of users. I understand that this may be getting into privacy issues but I think it would be very informative and educational for myself and others. Thanks.

[jhm]

Your Post is perfectly fine here as it does pertain to deer hunting and ANY outdoor activity, over the years I have literally been covered with ticks and chiggers, I own a cattle ranch and we harvested hay at least twice a year in the summer putting our bodies in contact with lots of the little critters when we were bailing square bales, when I went yop round bales several years ago it was lessened, however I or any of our family members were ever Ill from the contact of the ticks and chiggers, I can take a tick bite better than a chigger any day, I am not sure if their is a special type of tick that gives you tick fever or not but every year we hear abt. someone who has gotten sick from it, I guess we were just fortunate but checking yourself daily or when you return from any outing is the first step in reducing anything.   JIM

[buck460XVR]

Several years ago I contracted Lyme's disease. Never saw the tick even tho the bite was in a area on my torso that was highly visible. Yet to figure that one out.  I assume since I came down with it in early summer it was contracted from a tick I picked up during the spring Turkey hunting season. Developed the tell-tale bullseye rash that eventually covered most of my torso. Also had a spot of dead flesh about the size of a dime.....still carry the scar.  Never felt sick or anything untill the six weeks of treatment. Even tho I have an cast iron gut, the antibiotics I had to take three times a day for six weeks made me terribly nauseous.

[quickdtoo]

I no longer worry about ticks and other biters, Permethrin treated outer clothing takes care of the little pests real quick before they can bite ya and cause harm. 

Tim

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,117510.msg1098382939.html#msg1098382939

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,123353.msg1098427611.html#msg1098427611

[Land_Owner]

Being one of the "references" listed (thanks quickdtoo) I have to say that Permethrin is an effective way to prevent some parasites and biting insects from ruining your day.  Kill them with Permethrin; don't just run them off with repellent.

Preventing illness from bugs in the woods is a tough topic.  Most of us have been bitten, stuck, probed, sucked, stung, and a host of other insect unpleasantries.  What happens after the "taste test" is generally NOTHING, unless one is alergic to say bees and wasps.

Listing human parasite vectors indicates there is an overwhelming Army of them.  Each brings a different set of circumstances (this list is incomplete):
Ants, spiders, fleas; horse flies, yellow flies, biting house flies; [previously named bugs] chiggers and deer ticks; wasps, bees, hornets; mosquitoes, No-See-Ums (tiny intense stinging bugs/flies suggested as a vector of CWD); leeches, ring worm, round worm, pin worm, hook worm, liver fluke, tape worm; microscopic guys like protozoans (Giardia, amoebic dysentary, malaria - which is rare in the U.S.A.).

Human parasites are everywhere.  It is easy to become infected through insect bites, animal feces, walking barefoot, handling raw meat and fish, eating contaminated raw fruits and vegetables, drinking contaminated water, inhaling contaminated dust (parasitic eggs or cysts).   Fortunately many of us have immunities from past contact (to some of the microscopic guys anyway). 

Knowing the "hazards" is not going to keep you from getting a few once in a while.  Most illnesses are unpleasant but recovery is full.  Only a few can kill you or leave a lasting impression.

Get to know the ones that can leave you with a "lasting impression".  The rest should not keep you from the woods.

[mike65]

Good posts, LandOwner & Tim. About 5 yrs. ago my wife got Lyme Disease from a tick she picked up while hiking a country road in central OH. She was fortunate that she showed the tell-tale bulls-eye, or target rash, was put on antibiotics, and cleared up w/ no lasting symptoms. Unfortunately, this rash shows up in less than 25% of Lyme cases, so diagnosis sometimes doesn't occur until stage 2 or 3 of the disease. By then treatment must be more intense or its effectiveness cannot be assured. Anyone who has been in deer habitat (which may be as close as your backyard) and experiences unexplainable headaches, join pain, dizziness, swelling, or extreme fatigue, might consider testing for Lyme. Even then, it's not uncommon to get a "false positive" result. In other words, infection can be there without showing on the test.

Lyme is carried by the deer tick and has been diagnosed in all 50 states. However, the highest concentration seems to be from PA eastward to NY, NJ, and CT. WI has also shown a high number of diagnoses. Don't always believe what you read from the CDC on Lyme--they tend to downplay its frequency and pooh-pooh its effects. Lyme Disease CAN have long-lasting, crippling effects, both physical and psychological, if not treated. In addition, the ticks can also carry other nasty infections (for ex., Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever) and pass those on to the host as well. A 8-10 week course of antibiotics is standard treatment for early-detected Lyme.

I encourage anyone who spends time in the woods, particularly during "bug season," to use permethrin, DEET, or combination of the two. One repels (DEET), the other kills anything that gets through the first line of defense.

Mike