Find out what else you can pick up from ticks—and brush up on avoidance strategies without giving up the Great Outdoors. Powassan Virus While this virus, which attacks the nervous system, used to mainly linger in a type of tick that didn’t tend to bite people, it’s now found in 5% of deer ticks. “It generally takes 24 to 36 hours for a deer tick to transmit Lyme disease, but only minutes for Powassan,” says Fish. “So checking yourself for ticks after a long walk may actually be too late. Avoiding them is key.” Not everyone gets symptoms, thank goodness, but the most seriously affected come down with a severe headache, fever, and brain swelling. There’s no specific treatment, and it’s lethal for about 10% of these sufferers. MORE: Is It The Flu…Or Lyme Disease? Babesiosis Also carried by deer ticks, this illness causes malaria-like symptoms, such as drenching sweats, chills, high fever, and shortness of breath. Blood tests help doctors pinpoint the problem (Babesiosis causes the breakdown of the membranes of red blood cells, among other things), and medications commonly used to treat malaria, such as clindamycin, are usually very effective. “Some of my patients have Lyme and another tick-borne illness,” says Daniel A. Kinderlehrer, MD, who practices in Boulder, CO. “If you still have Lyme symptoms after your course of medication, you may want to talk with your doctor about the possibility of having Babesiosis or another infection, too.” Anaplasmosis Flulike symptoms, fatigue, headaches, and stabbing pain behind the eyes are the hallmark symptoms for this condition, which jumped from 348 to 1,761 annual cases between 2000 and 2010. Blood tests that measure platelet count, white blood cell count, and liver enzyme levels are helpful in making the diagnosis. “The antibiotic doxycycline is usually the first line of treatment and is effective,” says Kinderlehrer. MORE: Why One Man Volunteered To Have 8 Blood-Sucking Ticks Attached To His Knee Heartland Virus Eight people in Missouri and Tennessee have died as a result of this new virus, thought to be transmitted by the Lone Star tick, which is common in the eastern half of the US. Its symptoms include fever, fatigue, and nausea. “Since there’s no treatment or even test for this virus, taking precautions to avoid ticks is your best way to stay safe,” says Fish. What You Need to Know To Keep Ticks Away Find out if you’re going to be in a tick-prone area by downloading Fish’s free app, Lyme Disease Tick Map, from the iTunes store. If you’re heading to a hotspot, follow these strategies: Spray your clothes. “I don’t like to use chemical insect repellants, such as DEET, so I buy Picaridin, a natural one that’s derived from black pepper plants,” says Kinderlehrer. The University of Maine Extension says it helps keep ticks at bay for 4 to 8 hours. Get caught in the middle. Walk or run in the center of trails, rather than hovering over the grassy edge. Reduce ticks in your yard. Promptly raking leaves, mowing the lawn frequently, and clearing away brush around your house decrease the chance that ticks will want to be your neighbors. MORE: 6 Tick Myths, Debunked Take a shower. If you did pick up any ticks, you’ll be able to wash them off (or spot them better) in the shower. Clean your clothes, too, making sure they take a spin in a hot dryer to kill any lingering ticks.
