Conference moira::naturism

83.0. "TICK ALERT" by GENRAL::KILGORE (The Desert Rat) Mon Jul 04 1988 19:19

The majority of this report on ticks came from the June 1988 issue of SELF
magazine.

Beware of ticks -- summer is prime time for these little bugs.  They habitat 
in woods and grassy meadows and just wait for humans and pets to pass by so 
they can latch on for a free meal...someone's blood.  

Ticks don't cause disease but they do carry them, including painful, hard-to-
cure Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), which can be fatal.
4 New York city residents came down with RMSF and one died.  50% of the reported
cases now occur along the eastern seaboard, particularly in the south Atlantic
states.  

Ticks are hard- or soft-bodied; eight-legged; and may be plumper than a 
chocolate-covered raisin (after feeding) or no bigger than this "o" [the print
in the magazine is smaller than "this o"].  They become disease transmitters 
via the pass-along route.  Baby ticks -- larvae -- can pick up disease microbes
from a parent, just as human babies whose mothers have AIDS may be born with 
the virus.  Or teenage ticks ("nymphs") get the virus or bacteria duing a meal
on a "host".  Depending on the ticks, the hosts might be -- among others -- 
mice, dogs, rabbits, wild rodents or deer.  

Once infected, a nymph or full-grown tick who hops on a human can deliver its 
cargo directly to the bloodstream at mealtime.  The transfer isn't instantaneous
but the pass-alongs odds go up the longer a tick is attached.  Good reason to
check for and remove these critters fast.

How to void Becoming a Tick's Meal:

o  On hikes, walks, jogs, keep to the middle of trails and roads.

o  Wear a long-sleeved shirt tucked into long pants, tuck pants into socks and 
   cover a common tick hideout -- your hair -- with a head-hugging cap. [This I
   can tell is going over like a lead ballon!  how the h*ll is a naturist going
   to do this?  Well, read on for 3 more bullets.  jk]

o  Opt for tightly, woven, slippery fabics -- nylon is ideal -- rather than 
   denim or sweats, so ticks can't grab hold.

o  Use a skin-safe insect repellent containing DEET (diethyltoluamide), found 
   in Deep Woods Off and 6-12, among other brands.  Or spray **just** on 
   clothing the tick-killer permethrin (in Permanone, available in hardware
   stores).  A 30-second spray lasts all day.

o  Hike or walk with a buddy, and spot check each other frequently for ticks.
   [My hiking buddy and I thoroughly check each other out for ticks again 
   after our hike is over.  This is when we usually find the little buggers!]

Ways to Remove Ticks:

Do NOT use the following: "suffocating" a tick in nail polish, petroleum jelly
or alcohol; heating it with a match; soaking it in nail-polish remover or 
gasoline.  None of these methods is wise, though, since they allow the tick to
remain on the skin and are all likely to force the tick's stomach contents 
into your bloodstream.  If the tick **is** infected, you magnify your chances 
of picking up a disease.

Instead, most experts agree that the best way to safely remove a tick is to 
use a fine-tipped tweezers to grab hold of the tick as close as possible to 
its mouthparts -- the "feeders" actually stuck into your skin.  Since a tick
usually hangs on stubbornly, you may have to dig a bit into your skin to get a 
good grip.  Then gently but firmly pull it **straight** out, without twisting,
to make sure you get the mouthparts.  Left in, these may cause infection.

Wash the bite site and your hands thoroughly afterward.  Keep an eye on the 
bitten spot for any signs of infection or rash, and see your doctor if you 
develop flulike symptoms within a few days or even weeks.

        I traveled to North Carolina a few years back; the state
        with the dubious honor of having the highest incidence
        of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (so why is it Rocky
        Mountain?). I seem to recall from several articles that
        the state makes sure that tourists see, it stated that
        only 25% of the ticks are infected and that the tick had
        to be attached to you, not just crawling around, for at
        least 4 hours.
        
        Now maybe that was the state Chamber of Commerce trying
        to keep from losing business, but at least it was reassuring
        to know that if you paid attention, you probably aren't
        going to have a problem.
        
        On the other hand, when we first arrived at our friends house,
        walked to 30 feet of "lawn" (long grass), I found 2 ticks on
        me right away. you just have to pay attention. 
        
        Without clothes, they should be fairly easy to spot, except
        for in the hair. 

	CHICAGO (UPI) -- Deer ticks, which transmit Lyme disease, seem to
prefer biting people wearing clothes, a Connecticut doctor reported
Tuesday.
	In a letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr.
Henry Feder Jr. of the University of Connecticut Health Center in
Farmington, Conn., said he found that among more than 300 people at a
nudist camp, the only deer tick bites were reported by persons who were
wearing clothes.
	``What was surprising was that deer tick bites were very unusual
occurrences at the camp,'' Feder said. ``This was not because nudists
could not identify deer tick bites, as many of the nudists reported deer
tick bites that occurred at their permanent homes.''
	Experts generally recommend that people wear long-sleeve shirts and
long pants in deer tick areas to deter bites. However, Feder said the
deer ticks actually apparently prefer to get underneath clothing, such
as under long pants not tucked into socks.
	Only one case of Lyme disease-associated symptoms had been identified
by doctors treating the nudists, Feder said, even though the camp was in
the deer tick's ideal environment.
	``One explanation is that although deer are present, deer ticks are
not yet established. A second explanation is that deer ticks do not like
nudists, as ticks prefer to do their biting under cover,'' he said.
	A more formal study was being planned, he said.
	Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that initially often causes a
rash and flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue and aches. These
symptoms may be followed weeks or months later by neurologic, heart or
joint abnormalities. The disease was first recognized in 1975 in Lyme,
Conn., but has been identified in at least 43 states and in other
countries.


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