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Tick Talk
Kristy GrayStar-Tribune staff writer
When Judy Farley found a tick on her chest one spring morning nearly six years ago, she simply pulled it off. She'd grown up with ticks, pulling them from her horses as a kid.
She's not sure how she got that tick. It could have been walking around the trees and brush outside a relative's home in southern Oklahoma. But she hadn't noticed it when she went to sleep.
She suspects it crawled onto her in the night, carried in by her husband after he prowled the bush scouting for some future hunting trip.
She didn't give the tick much thought until she returned to Casper 10 days later.
"I felt like I had the flu or something. I had a fever and just felt achy and sick all over. I didn't want to get up," Farley said.
After three or four days of that, she went to the doctor. They did not know what was wrong.
It was then Farley thought of the tick. But her husband didn't think it was the culprit. He grew up in those Oklahoma woods, crawling through the trees and brush. Ticks were everywhere. None of his clan got sick.
But the next day Farley's fever hadn't broke. Her temperature hovered around 103 degrees. Her husband called the doctor's office worried.
"Well, she was bitten by a tick," he confided.
The doctor was alarmed. He prescribed medication right there on the phone. He ordered Farley to come for blood tests the next day.
Farley had contracted Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a disease passed to humans through tick bites.
Spring is the peak of tick season. And this spring seems to be worse than most in Wyoming.
The Wyoming Department of Health has reported four likely cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever so far this year -- two confirmed cases and two more cases that are clinically compatible, said Dr. Tracy Murphy, state epidemiologist.
Three of the four cases came from southern Campbell County. The other was reported in nearby Converse County.
In response, the health department wants people to take care when venturing into tick country -- wooded areas with brush or tall grass.
"We can see Rocky Mountain spotted fever in really all areas of the state, so we really want all people to be aware," Murphy said.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is one of three illnesses that can be passed by ticks found in Wyoming. The others are Tularemia and Colorado tick fever. Untreated, all can progress into serious illnesses with longterm side effects. Some cases can be fatal.
The Department of Health is also worried about tularemia outbreaks this spring. It has heard several unconfirmed reports of tularemia among sheep handlers and of rabbit die-offs which may indicate increased tularemia activity.
"The stories and the reports we've heard of tularemia-like illnesses is a significant variation this year just because we've had so many reports in a short period of time. We haven't confirmed all of them, but it doesn't mean they are not tularemia," Murphy said. Most of the cases have been reported in Johnson, Natrona and Niobrara counties.
Tularemia is a bacteria that can be transmitted by ticks, deer flies and mosquitoes. It's also transmitted by handling sick animals -- such as rabbits and squirrels. Wyoming reports cases each year, but the concentration of cases this year warranted the health department's warnings.
"It is an opportunity to remind people to be careful," Murphy said.
Nobody suggests staying inside all spring to avoid getting a bite. But taking a few extra precautions can drastically reduce the chances of someone contracting what can be serious diseases.
Remember that tick numbers are highest during the spring and use common sense when wandering through trees, brush and grass.
Not all tick bites cause illness. When they do, the illness may resemble a typical flu.
And that may be the biggest danger.
Delayed treatment to tick-borne diseases can significantly increase their severity, Murphy said. Untreated, some of them may even be fatal.
If you know that you have been bitten by a tick, watch for ulcerations, swelling or rashes around the bite. Look for flu-like symptoms such as fever or muscle aches. Some signs can start within a day, such as those associated with Lyme Disease. Others can take two to three weeks.
Be sure to tell your doctor that you have been bitten. This will help the doctor make a diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
"Most can readily be treated if people pay attention," Murphy said.
It may mean the difference between a quick diagnosis and no diagnosis at all.
"With many of these illness, some people do get better without seeking medical treatment. But a significant portion can progress and become fatal," Murphy said.
"I wouldn't take my chances."
These days, Farley tends to hang around the house when her Oklahoma relatives wander around the wooded areas. Her husband still likes to hunt in those trees and brushes, but Farley is happy to stay behind.
"I'm a lot more cautious than my husband. He thinks I'm a little overly cautious, let's put it that way."
© 2006 The National Lyme Disease Memorial Park Project
