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UW scientist urges precautions against Rocky Mountain spotted feverWyoming People in tick habitat are encouraged to take precautions that could prevent Rocky Mountain spotted fever, recommends a University of Wyoming College of Agriculture professor. There were 11 cases in Wyoming last year--five in Campbell County, according to information from the Wyoming Department of Health, said Jack Lloyd, professor emeritus in the Department of Renewable Resources. The total was up from seven reported in all of 2006. There have been four cases so far in 2008. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov), initial signs and symptoms of the disease include sudden onset of fever, headache, and muscle pain, followed by development of a rash. The disease can be difficult to diagnose in the early stages, and without prompt and appropriate treatment it can be fatal. A physician should be consulted if the symptoms are present. The disease is caused by a bacterium spread through ticks. The most common vector is the Rocky Mountain wood tick in the western United States, including Wyoming, and the American dog tick in the eastern, central and Pacific coastal United States. "Avoiding tick bites and promptly removing attached ticks remain the best disease-prevention strategies," said Lloyd. He recommends protective clothing, including a hat, long-sleeved shirt, long-legged trousers, heavy socks and heavy shoes. Stuffing the trouser cuffs into the top of socks will prevent ticks from climbing up the socks and onto the bare leg. "The use of the repellent DEET and the insecticide permethrin should be considered," Lloyd said. "Permethrin is intended for treatment of clothing and not for direct application to the skin. These products should be used strictly in accordance with label directions." Individuals should check themselves, their children and pets if in tick-infested areas, said Lloyd. A tick should be removed by grasping with tweezers or fine-tipped forceps close to the skin and gently pulling with constant pressure. "Yanking on the tick with too much force may break or crush the tick or leave the mouthparts imbedded in the skin," he said. Folk remedies such as using gasoline, kerosene, petroleum jelly or fingernail polish prove ineffective and should not be used, he said. Lloyd also advised not contacting a tick with bare hands because fluids containing the infectious organisms might be present in the tick's body and at the wound site. Removed ticks should not be handled by hand, and hands should be washed and the bite wound disinfected, he advised. 7/28/08 Date: 7/23/08 Advertisement
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