Influenza (Avian and other zoonotic)

You Think You Got Bit By A Tick. Now What?

Spending time outdoors is all fun and games…until you see a black spot on your body that looks like a tick. Cue a state of panic and wondering "Crap, what do I do now?" So we asked Richard S. Ostfeld, PhD, disease ecologist and distinguished senior scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.

What should I do if I think a tick bit me?

A tick bite might appear as a small red bump or rash. "A suspected tick bite should be followed by close attention to symptoms over the next few weeks," explains Ostfeld. You'll want to watch out for fever or flu-like symptoms. Those "could indicate a tick-borne disease that should be checked by a doctor."

Oh, and "if it's possible to collect the tick, it's a good idea to do so," says Ostfeld. That way, you can get it to a tick specialist (through your county's health department or a local university) to ID it. "Each common species of North American tick is associated with different diseases, so the identity of the tick is useful," he explains. And that can help with diagnoses and treatment options.

Just because you get a tick bite, doesn't automatically mean you'll get sick. "So many tick bites, roughly 60 to 90%, do not result in disease," says Ostfeld. Even if the tick that bit you is positive for Lyme disease or another tick-borne illness, "it still may not have transmitted an infection," he explains.

What activities make me more prone to a tick bite?

Outdoor activities like gardening and other yard work, hiking — even walking your dog. "Ticks are much more common in forested and shrubby areas," and "survive better in shaded conditions," says Ostfeld.

But he says there are steps you can take to protect yourself from getting bitten:

Frequently check your skin for ticks. This "can help with early detection and removal," he explains. Pay close attention to moist, protected areas of your skin — armpits, groins, behind the ears, and back of knees — where ticks often attach themselves.

Wear long pants and tuck pant legs into socks, since "most ticks we encounter are near the ground," explains Ostfeld.

Use repellents that contain DEET or picaridin, or products with permethrin. These chemicals can repel or kill ticks before they bite.

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Lyme Disease: It Only Takes One Bite

Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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I'm a strong, well-trained former pro athlete. How could an opponent as tiny as a tick defeat me?

Because Lyme disease is real. I've battled it for decades.

The pernicious, insidious disease — hard to identify and treat — destroys one muscle at a time.

Due to shame and fear of losing my job, I hid my illness, never divulging my controversial diagnosis. But now, with what I know firsthand about its devastating effects, I would be remiss to ignore its existence. (May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, when Lyme educators speak out on how to prevent it and other tickborne diseases. I echo the call.)

The tickborne bacterial infection is most frequently found in the northeastern, Midwestern and mid-Atlantic states. Minnesotans are especially vulnerable to this "hidden epidemic." But it is now prevalent worldwide. It has become a global health problem due to climate change and environmental practices.

Ticks reside across Europe, Asia and Africa. In Switzerland, ticks, once nonexistent in higher altitudes, became so common in the mountains that tick apps were developed for hikers. Deer are often considered the main vectors for black-legged ticks, but chipmunks, mice, squirrels and birds are also primary reservoirs for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

Lyme, known as the "great imitator," can be misdiagnosed as other illnesses. To further complicate matters, Lyme's many co-infections, such as bartonella, babesia and ehrlichia, are equally difficult to diagnose and treat.

Decades ago, I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme caused by the tickborne parasite Borrelia burgdorferi, which is most common in the United States. Other kinds of ticks carry other types of bacteria with other co-infections.

I tried every treatment — supplements, antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and anti-parasite medicines — in attempts to eradicate the bacteria in its' many forms.

After years, I finally located doctors who believed my bizarre symptoms despite of the lack of accurate testing. Lyme remains primarily a clinical diagnosis. Doctors, at risk of losing their medical license, willingly tried treatments that helped.

For years, my immunologist worked to reinforce my immune system. A Lyme-literate doctor in Wisconsin prescribed different long-term antibiotics.

Like science fiction, once in the blood stream, this nasty bacteria can hide out, replicate, and change shapes and forms. It disseminates into other tissues and damages organs, leading to ongoing physical symptoms and debilitating neurological impairments — which in some cases result in death.

If Lyme is identified right away, it can be successfully treated. But not everyone is as lucky as my brother-in-law in Minnesota, whose tick bite left the telltale bulls-eye rash. Immediate antibiotic treatment wiped out his Lyme.

Many celebrities — writers, athletes, musicians like Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne, and actors like Alec Baldwin and Yolanda Hadid — have shared their Lyme battle to promote awareness.

"[Lyme] is very dangerous because you have a very short window to catch it and then treat it and then even when you treat it, you could still very well be left with effects, which is what happened to me," Shania Twain told CBC news. "It's a debilitating disease and extremely dangerous. You can't play around with it, so you've got to check yourself for ticks."

Unfortunately, ticks can be as invisible as tiny as grains of sand. I had no signs until it was too late.

At times, my body turns to cement, my head fills with cotton. Electric shock sensations and stabbing pains shoot down my torso. My muscles twitch, my limbs spasm. Excruciating headaches knock me to my knees. My mind muddles.

Like a deer in headlights, I freeze. Neurological Lyme (neuroborreliosis) amplifies pain, light and noise, throwing me into sensory overload. An invisible body snatcher eats cells, turning my brain to spaghetti, my muscles to mush.

The medical community's skepticism only exacerbates patient shame. The best prevention: Don't get bit. But if you do, keep searching for answers.

The immune response to the Lyme bacteria may cause chronic inflammation. Recent studies show long-haul COVID-19 has similar effects on the central nervous system.

Am I cured? Doubtful. But I've learned to make peace with my undependable body.

At times of profound exhaustion, I slip into a twilight zone of semiconsciousness, suspended between life and death in a never-world.

I don't dwell on it. I won't let Lyme define me. I am not my illness. As an athlete, I fight on. I still enjoy the great outdoors, but with greater vigilance.

So much skepticism. So much misunderstanding. I am not crazy. This stuff is real.

I will fight on. Others, without financial stability and strong support networks, struggle in despair.

You can help. Stay aware. Someone in your entourage suffers in silence. Someone you love needs a hug.

Pat McKinzie Lechault is a former professional basketball player, international coach and teacher living in Minnetonka and Switzerland. She is the author of the book "Home Sweet Hardwood: A Title IX Trailblazer Breaks Barriers Through Basketball."

Here's What To Do If You Are Bitten By A Tick, According To Experts

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you're planning to go outdoors this spring and summer, there's a chance you may get bitten by a tick.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you should conduct a tick check of the entire body within 12 to 24 hours of outdoor activities. That includes checking under the arms, in and around ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist and especially in their hair.

Tick bites are fairly easy to diagnose, since the tick attaches itself to the site of the bite in order to feed on blood in the vast majority of cases.

So if you notice a tick on you or your child, your first instinct may be to grab it quickly to get rid of it. But experts warn that could put you at risk.

The TickEncounter Resource Center at the University of Rhode Island research shows one method is consistently reliable and safe.

It involves removing the tick with pointy tweezers, allowing a person to get rid of even the smallest of ticks. Stay away from flat tweezers that can squeeze the tick — as this could release the insect's potential sack of germs.

The CDC offers key steps on how to properly remove a tick:

Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.

Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth parts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.

After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by:

Putting it in alcohol,

Placing it in a sealed bag/container,

Wrapping it tightly in tape, or

Flushing it down the toilet.

After removing the tick, the CDC recommended thoroughly cleaning the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub or soap and water.

Watch for symptoms, such as fever/chills, vomiting, aches and pains and rashes over the next few days. Fever is a common symptom of all tick-borne diseases. Common aches and pains with tick-borne diseases include headache, fatigue and muscle aches.

If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor about your recent tick bite and share when the bite occurred and where you most likely acquired the tick.

TIPS TO PROTECT AGAINST TICKS

Here are some tips to protect you and your family against ticks:

Wear long sleeves and pants when spending time in and around long grass. Tuck pant legs into socks.

Wear white or light-colored clothing so it's easier to spot ticks.

Shower shortly after returning from the outdoors.

Ticks can enter the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later. The CDC suggested examining pets, coats and day packs.

Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. Damp clothing may need additional time.

The CDC recommended using an insect repellent that contains 20% or more DEET or picaridin on exposed skin. Use products that contain permethrin on clothing. Insect repellents with one of three active ingredients — DEET, oil of lemon eucalyptus and picaridin — were found to be effective by Consumer Reports' Best Insect Repellent Buying Guide.

There are also ways to keep your yard tick-free, like keeping a neat woodpile and mowing your lawn.

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