5 rapidly-spreading tick-borne illnesses & how to prevent them

The cases of

tick-borne illnesses

have been on rise for the past many years in Canada and apart from

Lyme Disease

a number of tick-borne pathogens such as

anaplasmosis

, babesiosis, and

Powassan virus

are fast emerging as major health threats. These diseases are becoming more prevalent as

ticks

spread and more cases are being identified.
Tick-borne illnesses have varied symptoms ranging from mild to severe.

While some tick infections could give mild illness, others may require antibiotics for treatment. There are however some tick bites which could turn fatal. In a recent case, a Canadian was diagnosed with a rare kind of tick-borne infection which proved fatal.

Government health data shows the warming climate has led to a 1,000 per cent increase in Lyme disease cases in Canada over the past decade.

While the reason for rise in these relatively less-known tick-borne infections is not clear, warmer temperatures and shorter, less severe winters may have allowed ticks to expand their range. This increase in suitable habitats for ticks means a greater number of Canadians are at risk of encountering tick-borne diseases.
Researchers feel the ticks carrying bacteria that causes infections like Lyme disease and anaplasmosis may also have developed resilience to survive in any season as long as it’s a mild day and may look for a host to feed on at just four degree Celsius.

Amid the growing threat of tick-borne illnesses, here symptoms of some common diseases spread by ticks that you need to be aware of.

Here are five common tick-borne illnesses, their symptoms, and prevention tips:

1. Lyme Disease

It is spread by black-legged tick and is caused by borrelia bacteria. It is one of the most common tick-borne illnesses. Symptoms of Lyme disease are Bull’s-eye rash (erythema migrains), fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Eventually the patient may develop headaches, neck stiffness, arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, nerve pain, shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet.

2. Anaplasmosis

It is also spread by black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis). The disease is caused by bacteria called Anaplasma phagocytophilum that primarily spreads to people by the bite of an infected tick. The symptoms are fever, chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.

3. Babesiosis

This too is spread by black-legged tick. It is an infectious disease caused by intraerythrocytic, tick-borne protozoa of the Babesia species. Its symptoms are fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea, and fatigue. It can also cause jaundice and hemolytic anemia in severe cases.

4. Powassan Virus

These are spread by the bite of an infected tick which can be of three types of Ixodes species ticks. Ticks become infected when they feed on groundhogs, squirrels, mice, or other rodents that have the virus in their blood. Symptoms of this illness are fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, seizures, memory loss and encephalitis in severe cases

It is spread by American dog tick and Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) and is caused by the organism Rickettsia rickettsia. Its symptoms are fever, rash (spreading from wrists and ankles inward to the trunk), headache, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, muscle pain, lack of appetite.

Prevention tips

To prevent tick infections, it is advised to wear light-coloured long-sleeved shirts and pants, use bug spray with DEET or icaridin, and walk on cleared paths. One should go for full-body tick checks after going outdoors, and remove any ticks found using clean fine-point tweezers. It is important to keep your clothes in a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes to kill any ticks.
Dr Tushar Tayal, Consultant, Internal Medicine, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram shares tips to avoid a tick-borne illness:
1. Stay away from wooded, bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Stick to trails when hiking.
2. Apply insect repellents with DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus on skin. Use permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
3. Wear long sleeves, long pants, and tuck pants into socks.
4. Shower soon after being outdoors: Showering within two hours of coming indoors can help wash off unattached ticks
5. Properly remove attached ticks: Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Clean the bite area and your hands by rubbing alcohol or soap and water.