Tick Bite? Potentially Life-threatening Disease on the Rise in New York
Today is the first day of Spring and, if the weather forecast holds true, we will see a warming trend this week in New York State. With temperatures in the 50's to near 60 between now and Friday you might also see more insects, such as ticks.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is a potentially deadly tick-borne disease on the rise here in the Northeast. This disease is said to be more severe than Lyme disease and could leave you with fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue and possibly death.
Babesiosis is a potentially deadly diseases transmitted to humans through a tick bite and is most commonly spread through blacklegged ticks or deer ticks. Once the microscopic parasites infect your red blood cells, your symptoms could range from none at all to life threatening. Here's who is most at risk.
Babesiosis can be a severe, life-threatening disease, particularly in people who:
- Are elderly
- Do not have a spleen
- Have a weak immune system for other reasons such as cancer
- Have other serious health conditions such as liver or kidney disease
The United States Army reports that ticks are most common once the temperature is above 45 degrees, such as the spring and summer months. If you do any outdoor activity you should check for ticks.
Remove ticks from your clothes and pets before going indoors and conduct a full-body exam for ticks once inside. Be sure to check behind the knees, between the toes, under the arms (armpits) and even inside the belly button as examples.
How do you remove a tick from your skin? Use pointed tweezers if possible. Grab the tick as close to your skin as you can. Slowly pull the tick straight out until it lets go.