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In a sour mood? Lyme Disease may be the culprit

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shen-Chia Chu
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  There is something lurking around Dover Air Force Base, a pest whose "bite" is worse than its bark.

These blood-sucking creatures, known as the black-legged deer tick, attach themselves to their prey for hours or even days, carrying a disease that spreads from a single bite., lyme disease (LD).

"A tiny tick, about the size of a poppy seed can carry lyme disease, which causes flu-like symptoms, fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, arthritis, cognitive defects, sleep disturbance and fatigue," said Capt. Francis Obuseh, 436th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Public Health Flight deputy commander. "Patients infected with lyme disease have a bull's-eye rash in the area of where the bite is, but many do not have early symptoms."

Patients infected with lyme disease can recover completely during the early stages of infection if treated with antibiotics. But those diagnosed with later stages may have persistent or recurrent symptoms. The 436th Medical Group warns Team Dover members to watch out for these small critters this summer season.

"We've received alert information from the Delaware Health Alert Advisory, which controls the surveillance and reporting the status of Delaware's lyme disease issues, prevention information and citizens who have become a statistic of the disease," said Captain Obuseh.

Delaware has been rated the highest or second highest of lyme disease incidents from 2004 to 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fortunately, one Dover patient, Staff Sgt. Jesse Kot, 436th AMDS Public Health Flight technician, was able to walk away disease-free from a tick bite and because the tick was caught early enough before any damage was done.

"I'm not scared to have ticks on me because I enjoy being outside - I'm an outdoors type of person," said Sergeant Kot. "My advice is to be careful of your surroundings outside and have someone check your backside for ticks. It's recommended to pull the ticks off, don't try to burn them off because they might try to bury themselves deeper into the skin tissue."

Team Dover members who have been bitten or would like to have ticks tested for LD may bring them to the Public Health Flight.

Prevention of tick bites and LD risk-reducing instructions for Team Dover:

- Avoid entering areas infested with ticks, particularly during the spring and summer when nymphal ticks feed.
- When traveling in a possible tick-infested area, wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be spotted more easily.
- Near areas that may have ticks, wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck pants into socks. It's also recommended to wear high rubber boots.
- Apply insect repellents containing DEET to clothes and exposed skin and permethrin to help reduce the risk of tick attachment. DEET can be used safely on children and adults as long as it is applied accordingly to the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines to reduce the possibility of toxicity.
- Reduce the number of ticks around homes by removing leaf litter, and brush-and-wood piles around the house and yard.
- The transmission of LD can be prevented as long as ticks are promptly removed before 36 hours of tick attachment.
- Remove ticks with fine-tipped tweezers near the mouth parts. Pull ticks in a steady, upward motion away from skin.
- Do not use kerosene, matches or petroleum jelly to remove the rick.
- Disinfect the site with soap and water, rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
- Record date and location of tick bite. If rash or flu-like symptoms appear, contact a health care provider immediately.