Log Cabin Democrat Features: Precaution is key to prevention of tick diseases 6/22/97

Published Sunday, June 22, 1997

Sunday, June 22, 1997Precaution is key to prevention of tick diseases

Last modified at 10:35 p.m. on Saturday, June 21, 1997

By BOB BUCHNAN

Special to the Log Cabin

Early this spring Tommy Watson came in from the fields near Greenbrier and picked 70 ticks off his body and clothes.

With more than 40 varieties of ticks in Arkansas, everyone should know the many simple precautions required to prevent becoming a victim of a tick bite and possibly Lyme disease.

When going into fields of tall grass, brush and woods, wear a long-sleeved shirt with long pants tucked into socks. Spray tick repellent on clothing before putting them on, but let the repellent dry. Wear light-colored clothing. Ticks are easier to detect.

Apply a 25 percent concentration of DEET -- never more than 50 percent -- around the arms, legs and neck. Never apply DEET to the entire body.

"Permethrin works even better that DEET," said Dr. Charles Crist of Springfield, Mo., a Lyme disease treatment specialist. "and both together are excellent."

While outdoors, check for ticks. When returning, don't put clothing on bedding or carpeting but in a clothes dryer. A few minutes of heat will kill the ticks. Then check your entire body or have someone else do it and do it carefully. The larva of a deer tick is smaller than a period in this copy.

If a tick is discovered, remove it promptly, but there's a trick to removing a tick. Use either a tick-removing device or fine-point tweezers. Approach the tick's head from the opposite side of its body. Never try to brush the tick off or squeeze the tick's body. It only causes the tick's head to emit more bacteria.

"Absolutely, positively, do not apply heat, chemicals or substances such as Vaseline to the tick," Dr. Crist emphasizes. "This makes the tick vomit into the skin. The Lyme bacteria are in the gut of the tick. Vomiting increases the bacteria that move from the tick gut to the skin and increases the chances of disease."

Squeeze the tweezers around the tick's head and pull slowly but firmly, never jerking. Use a magnifying glass to determine if the entire head of the tick has been removed. Then wash the bite area with soap or antiseptic. Most tick bites of less than four hours generally are not infectious.

Tape the tick to a piece of cardboard, noting the date, the body location of the bite and the likely place from where the tick came. Pharmaceutical company literature advises to call the state board of health to have the tick identified, but Dr. Sandra Snow, acting medical director for communicable diseases in the Arkansas Department of Health, said entomologists probably will be unable to determine the species.

She said pregnant women, babies, young children and people with serious health problems are at greater risk. Mothers-to-be can transmit Lyme disease to the fetus.

Concerned individuals are urged to consult their physician, especially concerning the risks of untreated bites. The medical advisory committee of the Lyme Disease Foundation recommends oral antibiotics as a precaution immediately after an unknown type of tick bite. There are no known initial bite tests to determine if a tick emitted Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete, the cause of Lyme disease.

Some experts recommend antibiotics only after a tick bite in a geographical area of endemic (very high prevalence) for Lyme disease, Dr. Crist said. Arkansas is not considered such an area, he added.

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