If you have ever hiked in the woods around Lake County you have come across wood ticks. They are one of the most common insects in the county. Most of the time when a wood tick bites you it’s nothing more than an inconvenience. However, if the tick is a carrier of the Lyme disease bacteria it could have a dramatic impact on your life.
Spring and summer is tick time in Lake and Mendocino counties and the bad part is that they can be carriers of Lyme disease. If you’re infected with Lyme disease and not treated it can have devastating consequences the rest of your life. While the chances of catching Lyme disease are low, people who frequent the woods in Lake and Mendocino counties are urged to be on the lookout for ticks that carry the bacteria.
With fishing and summer recreation seasons just around the corner, you could be exposing yourself to Lyme disease and not even know it. For example, the Highland Springs area, located near Lakeport, has a heavy infestation of ticks. It is also a popular hiking area.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), Lyme disease is a bacterial disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease is spread by the bite of a tick. In California it’s the western black-legged tick that transmits the disease. The tick bites an infected animal such as a mouse, bird, deer or lizard and then becomes a carrier of the disease.
The symptoms of Lyme disease vary. Within one to two weeks of being infected, a person may have a “bull’s-eye” rash at the site of the bite along with fever, headache and muscle or joint pain. Some people who contract Lyme disease have no early symptoms while other people come down with a fever and other flu-like symptoms without a rash. In its early stages Lyme disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics. However, if left untreated it can cause arthritic or neurological problems that will require extensive treatment.
After several days or weeks, the bacteria may spread throughout the body of an infected person. People infected with the disease experience a wide array of symptoms. There have been a few deaths caused by Lyme disease, however, the crippling effects of the disease can last a lifetime.
There is a blood test for Lyme disease, however, it doesn’t always detect the disease. It can also lay dormant in your body for years before becoming active.
People most at risk for catching Lyme disease are hunters, hikers, campers or workers who spend a good deal of time in the woods. A controlled study by famous entomologist Dr. Robert S. Lane of the University of California at Berkeley listed the five greatest risk behaviors for catching Lyme disease. The study consisted of researchers doing various tasks in the woods and the number of ticks were counted that attached themselves to the individuals. Sitting on a log drew most of the ticks. That was followed by gathering wood, sitting against a tree, walking through the woods and sitting in leaf piles, the theory being that the longer a person stays in one place the more ticks he/she will attract.
Only nymphs (Immature ticks) and adult female ticks can transmit the Lyme disease bacteria to humans. It’s the nymphs, which are about the size of a poppy seed, that are most dangerous because they’re hard to see and difficult to remove.
Only a small percentage of ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria. Studies have shown that in Lake and Mendocino counties less than 3 percent of the ticks are actual carriers. In 2013 there were 112 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in California. There were no reported Lyme disease cases in Lake County in 2014.
The good news is that it normally takes at least 24 hours after a tick attaches itself to a human before the disease is transmitted. If the tick is removed promptly the chance of getting Lyme disease is very low. The tick can be brought to Vector Control in Lakeport and the people there will send it to a laboratory to see if it is infected. There is no cost for this service.
If a person is bitten by a tick the CDC advises you remove the tick carefully to prevent breaking off the head. The best method is to use a small set of tweezers. Grab the tick as close as possible to the head and pull straight out. Do not squeeze the body of the tick.
People with symptoms of Lyme disease should see their doctor as early as possible. When caught early, the disease is easily treated with antibiotics. Most physicians automatically prescribe antibiotics when they see an infected tick bite or the familiar red bull’s-eye.
Ticks can be discouraged by applying a tick repellent to clothing. The most common repellents have the ingredient DEET. REPEL is one of the more common repellents and can be purchased locally at several stores. You should also check your body carefully for several days after returning from the woods. Ticks like to attach themselves in your groin arean, underarms and other places where the skin is soft. Also check your pets such as dogs because they attract ticks, which can in turn crawl off and attach themselves to you.
