Tick-born Diseases
Ticks latch onto humans and animals, imbed their mouths into their hosts’ skin, and suck their blood. This makes these parasites perfect vectors for spreading disease.
In the United States ticks spread numerous diseases in humans including:
potentially deadly Lyme Disease, Babesiosis, Tick Typhus,Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tick Born Encephalitis (TBE), Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI), Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis/Human /Granulocytic Ehrlichia (HGE).
COMMON DISEASE SYMPTOMS: In rare cases, none of the symptoms noted below may be observed until after permanent neurological or other damage has been inflected on tick bite victims:
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Lyme: Bulls-eye rash, fever/chills/joint pain, fatigue, swollen joints/lymph nodes, heart palpitation, sleep disruption, neuropathy, Bell’s Palsy. Can be fatal
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Babesiosis: Headache, fever, fatigue, weakness, appetite loss, muscle pain, sweats, confusion.
If untreated, up to 5% die -
HGE: Rash is uncommon, fever/chills/shaking, muscle/joint pain, headache, malaise, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, confusion. Can be fatal
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Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Spotty rash
5-10 days after infection. Fatal in 10% of cases -
TBE: Fever, dementia, 30% never recover,1% die