TICKS,TICKS

[Fishermantim]

Had a friend vacationing up in Vermont some years ago, and she came down with a case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
She couldn't understand how she got it in Vermont.

That's when I explainded that the animals that carry the ticks and fleas that carry the disease don't know about state boundaries.
She understood then and was still shocked that it made it that far across the country.

With the spreadout of animal habitats over the years, anything can be spread across the continent given time.

Best bet is prep and post check for the little suckers!!

[filetandrelease]

there is a very good article in the Sunday,s post-Standard on ticks , it clears a lot up , cause, treatment , and precautions

[youngster]

have a brother in law in Harrisburg,, who,s a taxidermist for 40 yrs.. figured he never neede to worry bout ticks.... never had a problem and had tons of ticks around over the years.. well he came up to camp a day late for bow season very unusal.. and said he had a tick under his armpit. and he got it off but it was blowed up pretty good. said he felt like hell so waited a day to come up. he showed us after some drastic harassing about a tick putting him down. and he had a huge bullseye and all black an blue and red.. told him he really should go to dr. when he got back and get checked for the lyme... long story short. he finally gave in and went. they gave him the shots  and when test came back he tested positive for lyme....    back again after a couple months and tested negative...  he said he probably would have never gone if we hadn't said something.   never really worried about them...    at least now he knows why he felt l so bad and is relieved he tested positive.   better safe than sorry.   

[perch-hound]

Decent video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX70ivbRyJ4&feature=youtu.be

[Boomer]

Here in central Indiana ticks have been "active" this year. 

Use to work for the DNR in southern Indiana back in the early 1980's on a hiking trail and a couple of rivers. Not uncommon to get 10 - 20+ ticks before  lunch!!!  If you saw us at work you would think we were some monkeys - sitting there picking ticks off each other.  Get home and take a shower and check again. 

Take precautions but I can't see giving up the outdoors.

Hope all stay healthy.

[ship of fools]

The new tick borne diseases are not powassin ....  they are anaplasmosis and babesiosis. Both are brutal and far worse than lyme disease.

And the cases are spreading.

[frogger]

The new tick borne diseases are not powassin ....  they are anaplasmosis and babesiosis. Both are brutal and far worse than lyme disease.

And the cases are spreading.

Not entirely true - Babesiosis was first identified back in 1969 so it isn't exactly new, and the symtoms are often so mild it is not noticed - but can be life-threatening to people with no spleen, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems.  As with any other disease different people DO have serious reactions to both diseases, and both CAN be a serious illness that can be fatal if not treated correctly.  You are correct that cases of both have been increasing.

[Reel Force]

http://www.sheamedical.com/the-overlooked%E2%80%93and-deadly%E2%80%93complications-of-lyme-disease-and-its-coinfections

[pike46]

Pulled one off me last week. dug in pretty good only on me 12 hours or so. Super dose antibiotics one shot. Weird thing is lyme is not what I m worried about. with the new virus around. (Powanuss Virus). Rare , but getting less so.

[trapper2000]

i  carry  alcohol  wipes  in  my  first  first  aid  kid  ,  if  you  hold  one  on a  tick  for a  few  minutes  they  usually  let  go,works  great  on  dogs  too

[prchslyr]

I found another tick on me a week ago while doing my cpr cert at the local EMS building. I'm glad I was where I was. I was told that anything that will coat the entire tick will actually suffocate the tick and it will instinctively start to back out of your skin. They coated the tick in vegetable oil and the son of a gun started backing out immediately.  We still had to use tweezers to get it fully out, but it was the easiest tick extraction I've had. Dish soap, vegetable oil, shampoo etc... Any nice and thick liquid will work.

[ship of fools]

DON'T do anything that makes the tick back out ..... sure they will disengage and you won't have them on there but in the process they unload their toxins into the host. You want to pull gently with a rocking motion and pull them out.

That advice is straight from the person from NY that addressed our local town groupthat is dealing with tick borne diseases. She is a scientist from NYS and was extremely knowledgable.

[frogger]

DON'T do anything that makes the tick back out ..... sure they will disengage and you won't have them on there but in the process they unload their toxins into the host. You want to pull gently with a rocking motion and pull them out.

That advice is straight from the person from NY that addressed our local town groupthat is dealing with tick borne diseases. She is a scientist from NYS and was extremely knowledgable.

\

You are 100 % correct -
What to avoid
Do not try to:

Smother a tick that is stuck to your skin with petroleum jelly, nail polish, gasoline, or rubbing alcohol.
Burn the tick while it is stuck to your skin.
Smothering or burning a tick could make it release fluid—which could be infected—into your body and increase your chance of infection.

[candojo]

Very good info on here , i got bit two weeks ago  , never felt anything , i noticed it when changing my shirt , I noticed the tick wasn't engorged but still called the doc and got the one time precautionary antibiotic , so far no issues . Guys don't take this lightly , life is short as it is so don't let a little critter make you sick , as Riverrat says check and check again. They say you should take the antibiotic within 36hours i believe.

[prchslyr]

Dang it! I thought I finally scored a good means of removal.
I won't disagree with your statement. The spot where that tick was pulled out flamed up just as bad as the others. 
A debate with those squad members may be in order.  Lol