Latest news with #tickbite
CTV News
20-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Pet owners warned of ticks transmitting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
A Rocky Mountain wood tick (left) and American dog tick (right). (Source: Public Health Agency of Canada) Grand Erie Public Health is urging pet owners to be extra vigilant about tick removal after Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever was found in animals who had recently visited Long Point. 'RMSF can be life-threatening in both humans and animals if not treated early,' the health unit wrote in a social media post Sunday. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, like Lyme disease, is a bacterial illness spread through the bite of an infected tick. It is found in several species, including the American dog tick, the brown dog tick and the Rocky Mountain wood tick. The most common symptoms are fever, headache and rash. Medication can be prescribed once symptoms start but, if left untreated, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is potentially fatal. Preventing tick bites Tips to reduce the risk of tick bites: Avoid tick-infested areas Wear light-coloured long sleeves and pants outdoors, as well as closed-toe shoes Tuck pant legs into socks before walking through long grass Use insect repellents with DEET or Icaridin on skin and clothing Conduct tick checks after outdoor activities, feel for bumps or look for tiny dark spots (ticks can be as small as a sesame seed) Take a shower or bath within two hours of being outdoors Use tick prevention products on pets Removing and disposing of ticks Ticks need to be removed within 24 hours to prevent infection. Here's what to do if you find one: Use tweezers or a specialized tick remover to grab hold of its body as close to the skin as possible Pull it straight out Apply antiseptic ointment on the bite Write down where you found the tick on your body, as well as well as the time and place you may have picked it up Call your doctor if you feel unwell, are unable to remove the tick yourself or if it has buried itself too deeply into the skin Do not: Use petroleum jelly or other products Burn the tick Crush or damage the tick while trying to remove it Experts recommend killing the tick by drowning them in rubbing alcohol or putting them in the freezer for several hours. Once dead, they can be thrown into the garbage. Physical symptoms If you have been bitten by a tick, here are some of the symptoms to watch out for: Circular red rash around the bite Fever Chills Swollen glands Headache Diarrhea Weakness Dry cough Joint pain Muscle ache Stiff neck Reporting ticks If you find a tick, on yourself or your pet, take a photo and submit it to for expert identification within 24 hours. An email will be sent with the results. You can also check out the public tick map for other confirmed sightings.
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Fitness star left paralyzed from waist down after tick bite... as US suffers worst-ever outbreak
She had just achieved her 'dream physique' as a budding fitness influencer. But Maria Palen, 31, from California, has told how her life was turned upside down after a tick bite left her paralyzed from the waist down. The brunette initially experienced inflammation and joint pain, so she switched to a plant-based diet and started working out more in a bid to get her health back on track. But her symptoms got worse instead of better and the pain became so severe that by March 2024, she was left bedbound. The chemical engineer, who has more than 20,000 followers on Instagram, became unable to complete everyday tasks such as locking her phone screen or opening a tin of tuna. After visiting a functional doctor, she was diagnosed with babesiosis - a disease caused by parasites that infect red blood cells, often transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. Maria's story comes as experts say this year is the worst tick season on record due to a milder winter across the US, which kept more animals alive that act as hosts to ticks. The fitness enthusiast believes she was likely bitten by a tick while hiking or enjoying the outdoors potentially years ago and not been aware of the infection. Maria was given medication to help eradicate the parasite but in October 2024 she started to experience pain in her tailbone that was so severe that she was unable to sit down. Maria was rushed to the emergency room and given pain medication but her symptoms worsened and she was soon numb and paralyzed from the waist down. She said: 'I have no idea [when the tick bite might have happened]. 'I think it got so bad because [the bite and infection] went undetected for so long because I didn't know that I had it. 'I think that if I had detected it sooner, it wouldn't have got to the stage that I'm at now. 'For the entire of 2024 I was in so much pain that it was hard to do simple tasks. 'My thumb hurt so bad and it was so swollen and inflamed that it was hard to lock my phone. 'Basic things like brushing my teeth in the morning, opening a can of tuna, and driving were painful. 'I couldn't go to the gym anymore. I was 145lbs when I was lifting heavy and then immediately, I went down to 128lbs. I lost that within the three weeks I was bedridden.' Maria is currently receiving physical therapy for eight hours each week and is hopeful that one day she will be able to regain the feeling in her legs. Reflecting on how the disease has impacted her life, Maria said: 'I'm so used to waking up at 4am, going to the gym and then going to work. 'I'm so used to a busy lifestyle, so it's been hard mentally because I can't do all the things I loved. 'I have to let it play its course. Hopefully the nerves heal and I can get back to my old life. 'I'm bored now because I don't really go out. It's been an adjustment. I'm trying to stay as positive as possible just because it will help with the healing process. 'I try and look at the small wins. I am getting some movement back in my legs after the six months. 'I'm just taking it day by day and trying to stay positive and pray that I am able to get full recovery but it's an unknown. 'Not knowing whether I will get full recovery or not is the hard part.' Human cases of babesiosis have more than doubled in a decade in the US, a trend some say is linked to climate change and clearing more land for development. Only about 2,500 cases are officially diagnosed each year, but scientists warn many are likely flying under the radar because doctors don't know to test for it. Infections are rising across the mid-west, northeast and the west and are most common in the summer months when ticks are active. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, say they have decoded the first-ever high quality genome of one of the microbes behind the illness. They say this will help develop tools to diagnose the disease and new treatments for the disease that can also cause organ failure and an enlarged spleen and liver. Babesia are single-celled organisms that normally circulate between ticks and deer, but can also infect humans via tick bites. Patients show symptoms one to six weeks after bites which initially appear similar to malaria, including a fever, headache and muscle pains. This graph, provided by the CDC, shows how many cases of babesiosis have been recorded in the US by year. In 2011 there were just over 1,000 cases, but now this has grown to 2,500 But in serious cases they can progress to organ failure, a swollen spleen or liver and anemia — driven by the pathogen destroying red blood cells. Estimates suggest about 0.5 percent of all patients die from the disease. But among the elderly and immunocompromised, the death rate can be as high as 20 percent. The disease can be treated with antibiotic and anti-parasite drugs azithromycin and atovaquone. About 2,500 people are diagnosed with the infection every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), up from just over 1,000 from a decade beforehand. But over recent years, the agency has warned that the disease is becoming more prevalent in eight of ten states that monitor for the infection, especially in the northeast. But many cases are missed because patients may be co-infected with Lyme disease. Experts also say that while most doctors are aware of Lyme disease, not as many know about babesiosis or the warning signs to look out for. Healthy people who become infected are also unlikely to develop symptoms. Columbia University scientists say up to 20 percent of older patients who catch the disease die from the illness. There are two types of microbes behind the illness named babesia microti — which is spread by the deer tick in the summer months — and B. duncani — spread by the winter tick in the fall and early winter. For their study, researchers analyzed the genetics behind B. duncani for the first time. They also built its 3D structure using a computer, finding that it closely resembled the parasite behind malaria or Plasmodium falciparum. They said this may have helped it evolve ways to dodge immunity. The CDC revealed in 2023 that cases rose in eight of ten states that were reporting babesiosis cases from 2011 to 2019. The uptick was 25 percent. At the same time, cases of Lyme disease — which can be confused with the illness — rose by 44 percent. The disease also became endemic in three new states: Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Previously, it was only considered endemic in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Babesiosis was first detected in the US in 1969.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Girl, 4, left paralyzed and unable to talk after one insect bite... as her family reveal the signs you MUST know
A family camping trip turned to panic when four-year-old Madeline Tuckwiller became paralyzed after a giant tick embedded itself in her scalp. Taylor Justice and her family went on a two-day camping trip earlier this month to celebrate Mother's Day. Your browser does not support iframes.
