In the past, Lyme disease was thought to be the only threat of ticks, but recently researchers have found more detrimental infections caused by ticks.
Ticks are small arachnids. It shares the same classification as mites and are external parasites. They live off of the blood of mammals, birds, and other animals, and are vectors of a number of diseases. It’s very easy for them to crawl onto your skin without you even noticing, which is especially disconcerting for pet owners.
Researchers are constantly finding new tick borne bugs. For instance, the Borrelia miyamotoi causes flu-like systems that are so severe, a percentage of infected people end up in the hospital.
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Look out! August seems to be the month for concern, according to scientists. Trends are showing a peak of incidents in the month of August continuing through to September. The timing suggest that the bug is still in the larval stage. Just imagine the harm baby ticks can cause. Healthy people are at risk the same as older and physically weak people. Ecologists recommend staying on high alert in these months in high tick infested areas, like the New England region.
Ticks can not only be spread by deer, but also birds, making transmittance faster. The Bureau of Infectious Diseases has singled out the white-foot deer mouse as another host of the dangerous tick. The rodents are hosting the bacteria and infecting humans and other animals at later stages. There is a time lapse from when the carriers are infected to when they are transmitted.
Another infection that is no longer rare is Babesiosis. According to the FDA, it is the number one infection spread by blood transfusion in the United States. Climate change is being blamed as one cause for the increase in infections. Climate change is extending the habitat and lives of the micro disasters causing a rise in infectious rates.
The scariest of them all is the Powassan Virus.
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Although still very rare, this virus has a special liking for the central nervous system and has a 10 percent mortality rate. Unlike the other viruses mentioned in this article, there is no treatment for this one, and only requires 15 minutes of feeding from ticks for infection.
Be on alert this summer! For more information about infectious diseases cause by ticks, visit CommonHealth!
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