What is This Tick with a White Dot?

Imagine taking advantage of beautiful autumn weather, out in nature…and you find a tick.

This tick is not the “typical” type you find in Massachusetts.  Deer ticks are plentiful here, but this is not a deer tick.  What is this tick with a white dot?  The tick you have found is a Lone Star tick.  The good news is, it does not carry Lyme disease bacteria.

A tick with a white dot is a Lone Star tick
A tick with a white dot is a Lone Star tick

Is this tick with a white dot dangerous?

While Lyme disease is only passed by the deer tick, also commonly called black-legged tick, the Lone Star tick can also make you sick.  This tiny blood sucker is responsible for ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and southern tick-associated rash illness, also known as STARI.  Tularemia can run rampant through rabbits and rodents, killing them in large numbers.  For humans, tularemia can cause swollen lymph nodes, eye inflammation, mouth sores, sore throat, and even pneumonia.  Ehrlichiosis can present in humans with symptoms that mimic flu.  These symptoms include fever, muscle pain, headache, and stomach upset.  STARI has similar symptoms, but can also include an elliptical shaped skin rash at the bite site within a week or so after the bite occurs.

There are two other points of interest about encounters with a tick with a white dot.

As with a bite from any insect or parasite, a skin infection can occur.  It is important that you wash your tick bite with warm water and soap as quickly as possible.  You can follow up with a bit of rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab.  Generally, a skin infection is not the immediate fear after a tick bite.

  1. A bite from a Lone Star tick can cause a lifelong allergy to red meat, called Alpha-Gal syndrome.
  2. Lone Star tick saliva is known to cause redness and irritation at the bite.  This does not necessarily indicate infection, and typically goes away in a short time.

Protect your health and home with Grafton tick control.

As with most tick-borne illnesses, the best course of action is tick bite prevention.  Out in nature, we must wear long pants and sleeves, and perform tick checks when we return home.  At home, professional Grafton tick control companies can help keep ticks away.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast
Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Also read: What if you find a tick on your body?

 

Is Deer Overpopulation Responsible for More Deer Ticks?

When you think of a deer population, you may picture majestic creatures peacefully grazing in fields or forests.

However, there is another side to a deer population that often goes unnoticed. Deer overpopulation can cause many problems for the land where the animals reside, and for humans who come into contact with them. Overcrowded deer can lead to more ticks. In this article we will discuss what causes deer overpopulation and why it can cause more ticks.

Is deer overpopulation responsible for more deer ticks?
Is deer overpopulation responsible for more deer ticks?

What is Deer Overpopulation?

Deer overpopulation is the term given to when there are more deer than the land can sustain. Too many deer can cause many problems for both deer and humans. When deer are overpopulated in a given region, they compete with other animals for food and can compete with farmers for safe pastures. Where deer are overpopulated, there can be increased risk for drivers vs. deer encounters.

Why Does Deer Overpopulation Cause More Ticks?

Deer are host to many different parasites that can infect other animals, including humans. Deer are hosts to a variety of tick species. These parasites can infect both humans and domestic animals such as cattle and horses. The deer tick is native to the Eastern United States, but has now spread westward into the Great Plains and California. It stands to reason, the more plentiful the tick hosts, the more plentiful the tick populations.  If deer find their way onto your property, they can carry ticks with them.

Merrimack Tick Control Methods Don’t Include Controlling Deer Populations

There are a number of recommendations for controlling deer populations.  From providing more food sources, to eliminating competitors of food sources, to eliminating deer populations with hunting.  Your best bet for controlling the number of ticks on your property does not involve controlling the deer population around your home.  It’s about controlling the ticks.  This is because ticks feed on many other species, including the white footed mouse, the biggest spreader of Lyme infection.

At-home Merrimack tick control should be employed from April all the way through October in the Northeastern United States.  This is because adult deer ticks are scrounging for their final blood meal before bedding down for winter.  Tick control is deployed in two manners.  One is by barrier protection spray.  This method is commonly used in the springtime and summer.  When autumn is afoot, tick tubes are the preferred tick control method.  These tubes contain treated cotton that mice carry to their nests, which will eliminate ticks and their offspring without harming the mice.  Ultimately, this level of tick control results in fewer ticks emerging in the springtime.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast
Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Also read: Why is Lyme disease on the rise?

 

Unspoken Truths About Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is purported to have claimed a life and it’s not how you might think.

Is Lyme disease fatal?  Last week, a parent in Canada spoke about his daughter’s death.  After suffering for years with what was originally un-diagnosed Lyme disease, Amelie Champagne took her own life.  Her father says that Amelie’s eventual positive Lyme diagnosis came too late, as the disease had ravaged her body and mind.  He credits the severe impact on Amelie’s brain resulted in her suicide at the age of 22.

Is Lyme disease fatal?
Is Lyme disease fatal if it causes a person to take their own life?

Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed and not diagnosed at all.

As we well know, Lyme disease can result in maladies of the body and mind.  Well-known cases, such as those of Kris Kristofferson and Justin Bieber shone a light on the condition.  Mr. Kristofferson suffered for more than a decade with undiagnosed Lyme disease, and was misdiagnosed with Fibromyalgia and dementia.  Joint pain and degradation of mental capacity are both Lyme symptoms.  Justin, also a Canadian, released a statement in 2020, in which he said that Lyme had negatively affected his, “brain function, energy, and overall health.

Is Lyme disease fatal if it is the cause for suffering that results in suicide?

Lyme disease is fatal if it affects someone’s body and brain so negatively that it leads to them taking their own life.  Even though the infection does not kill, the effects of the disease surely take their toll.  And while there is a growing awareness of Lyme disease, this is a case of the quiet parts being said aloud.  More awareness about the effects of the infection must be made.  Sadly, Lyme disease is treatable when it is diagnosed early.  For a variety of reasons, the CDC believes that there are up to 10 times more cases of Lyme in the United States that what is actually documented.

Also read: Can cats get Lyme disease from a tick?

Lyme disease can happen any time of year.

If you have been outdoors and have knowingly or unknowingly encountered a deer tick, you are at risk for Lyme infection.  The risk is not relegated only to the springtime and summer.  While nymph ticks are busying about in search of their blood meals in the springtime, adult ticks are equally as active in the fall.  What’s more, if the temperatures are steadily above 45 degrees in the winter, ticks can quest for blood.  Therefore, we must keep check on ourselves, our kids, and our pets after being outdoors any warm day – in any season.

tick control tubesTick protection and control tips:

  1. Wear long sleeves and pants outdoors
  2. Perform a full-body tick check after being outdoors
  3. Wear clothing treated with permethrin when hiking or camping
  4. Call on the experts for Grafton tick control to protect your property all year long

 

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast
Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Also read:
Is Lyme disease an epidemic in Massachusetts?

Lyme Disease Vaccine Update, Fall 2022

Lyme disease vaccine trials are ongoing in the fall of 2022.

What is the latest news on the Lyme disease vaccine? Jane Caffrey reports that there are new steps in the fight against Lyme disease. Both Pfizer and Valneva are conducting a clinical trial for a Lyme Disease vaccine, and it is now in phase three.

Lyme disease vaccine trials still underway
Lyme disease vaccine trials still underway.

Where are these Lyme disease vaccine trials?

Research is happening in neighboring Connecticut, at Stamford Health in Fairfield County. About 6,000 people across the globe are taking part in the study, and that includes 20 at Stamford Hospital.

Last year, my 7-year-old actually got Lyme disease,” Zain Hoda explained. A side effect known as Lyme arthritis sent their son Reza to the hospital. “We have two kids and my wife had to stay home with one of them,” Zain Hoda said. “So it was just me in the hospital with my son for five days.”

It was a very traumatic experience for the young boy because he had to have surgery after his knee got infected. So by participating in the vaccine trial, the family wants to prevent something like this from happening again or to someone else. This is why they will be rolling up their sleeves for the next two-and-a-half years, taking part in the global clinical trial being conducted in places where Lyme disease is highly endemic, like Connecticut.

Read: Why is Lyme disease on the rise?

Dr. Michael Parry, chair of Infectious Diseases at Stamford Health, said, “When it becomes late in the course and hasn’t been aggressively treated upfront, Lyme Disease can produce all sorts of problems including:

  • Neurological Disease
  • Heart Disease
  • Prolonged Fatigue
  • Brain Fog

As for how the Lyme Disease vaccine trial regimen works, each participant will receive four doses over the next 30 months. Some will get the new vaccine, while others will receive a placebo. “We will be following them with history, clinical symptoms, evidence of Lyme disease, blood tests, to evaluate how well this vaccine protects them against Lyme disease,” Dr. Parry said.

How long might a Lyme disease vaccine take to be approved?

He says if the clinical trial is successful, the timeline for when regulators would look at approving the vaccine would be in 2026 or 2027. “If a vaccine is 80 to 90 percent protective, it still would be a huge advance in the prevention of Lyme disease,” Dr. Parry said.

Researchers at Stamford Hospital are still seeking more pediatric participants, so they can gather enough data about how this vaccine works for kids. Participants for this study must be at least 5 years old.

For more information, the office of Dr. Parry can be reached at Stamford Health Medical Group, 29 Hospital Plaza, Suite 605, Stamford, CT 06902.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast
Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Also read: Why do ticks suck blood?

Avoiding Ticks is Not as Clear-cut as Before

To avoid tick bites, stay away from forested areas or be equipped to deal with them.

Unfortunately, ticks are showing up in places previously deemed safe from the disease-carrying arachnids, from our coastal beach areas to manicured lawns. As their population increases, the sheer number of ticks may be forcing them to branch out into new habitats this autumn, like your landscape, especially if you have an abundance of tall grasses and leaf debris.

Avoiding ticks is essential for your family's health.
Avoiding ticks is essential for your family’s health.

Each year, about 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the CDC by state health departments.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (MDPH) Syndromic Surveillance program electronically collects limited information on patient visits to hospital emergency departments (ED) across the Commonwealth.

The reported data allows the Department to track trends for certain types of ED visits. This report provides monthly updates on two visit types, tick exposures, where a patient reports an exposure to ticks, and tick-borne disease, where the patient is discharged with a diagnosis of a tick-borne disease.

Also read: Are ticks more dangerous than fleas?

Because not everyone exposed to ticks or with a tick-borne disease will be seen in an ED, this data does not show all patients with tick-borne diseases in Massachusetts. More information about tick-borne diseases and how to prevent them is available at www.mass.gov/dph/tick.

Tick Exposure Visits and Tick-Borne Disease Visits

The graphs shows that in August of 2022, less than 0.3% of visits to EDs in any week were related to exposure to ticks, while less than 0.2% of visits to EDs in any week were related to diagnosis of a tick-borne disease.

tick data
Tick encounters and disease data.

The 2022 data are shown compared to both the minimum and the maximum number of visits recorded over the last three years. While tick activity usually increases in Spring and early Summer and then again in the Fall, exact timing is dependent on weather.

Tick-Borne Diseases in Central Mass

Ticks are bugs that feed on the blood of mammals, birds, or reptiles. Black-legged deer ticks and dog ticks are found throughout Massachusetts and may spread different disease-causing germs when they bite you.

In addition to Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne diseases here are Babesiosis, and Anaplasmosis. Other diseases that are more rare, but still occur, are Tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Powassan virus.

Tick-borne illnesses can be very severe, avoiding ticks is essential.

One of the most important things you can do is check yourself for ticks once a day when outdoors. Remember to check your children and pets, too. Remove any attached ticks as soon as possible. Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks especially in these areas after coming inside:

  • Inside and behind the ears
  • Along your hairline
  • Back of your neck
  • Armpits
  • Groin
  • Legs
  • Behind your knees
  • Between your toes

When going outside to an area likely to have ticks:

  • Stick to main pathways and the center of trails when hiking.
  • Wear a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt with long pants and tuck your pants into your socks.
  • This may be difficult to do when the weather is hot, but it will help keep ticks away from your skin and make it easier to spot a tick on your clothing.
  • Use bug repellents. Repellents that contain DEET can be used on your exposed skin. Permethrin is a product that can be used on your clothes. Always follow the product instructions and use repellents with no more than 30-35% DEET on adults and 10-15% DEET on children. Never use insect repellents on infants.

tick control tubes Prevention is everything for avoiding ticks and the potential for disease. Enlist professional Framingham tick control.

When back at home, ensure that your exterior landscape remains free from ticks by subscribing to a tick control regimen of a regularly applied barrier spray and tick tubes.

Also read: Could you see ticks on the beach on your winter getaway??

No Tick is a Treat, Be Safe This Halloween

Don’t allow ticks safe passage this Halloween.

You know how kids are. It’s always all about the candy. Especially at this time of year, with it getting darker increasingly earlier, these little ghosties and goblins may not be paying special attention to where they are walking on their quest for edible treats. So if you have ticks hiding out in the perimeter of your home, don’t give them a free ride courtesy of the kiddies. Stop them in their tracks with fall tick control.

No tick has ever been a treat!
No tick has ever been a treat!

Tick Activity Is Picking Up, Hopkinton Tick Control is a Must

Earlier this year, WBUR News reported that experts fear climate change could extend peak seasons for tick activity. Central Massachusetts generally experiences two peaks for tick activity, according to the Department of Public Health: from late March or early April through August, and then from October to November. And with October just days away, we need to remain vigilant.

Even worse, those peaks could get longer in the future as temperatures increase due to climate change. Ticks are the ultimate freeloaders, actively looking for food unless they are buried under snow or temperatures drop below freezing. Warmer days and less snow would mean that activity starts earlier in the spring, and extends deeper into the fall and winter.

Also read: Can you bring home a tick on your Christmas tree?

If you extend peak tick season, you could end up with more cases of disease,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown said, even if the tick population remains the same. “We’ve actually already seen that happen a little bit with our mosquito population … which certainly creates more opportunity for more disease transmission.”

In Massachusetts, ticks are known to be carriers of several diseases, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and tularemia. Different tick species spread different diseases.

There are no population-wide mitigation efforts effective for ticks the way there are for mosquitos, according to Brown, so prevention comes down to individual action.

The Department of Public Health recommends using tick repellent when outside, checking your body for ticks after spending time outdoors, and staying within established paths while hiking.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast
Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Stay safe at home and away from home with personal tick protection measures, and professional Hopkinton tick control.

Also read: Tick Safety for Fall Hiking

What is the tick peak season in Massachusetts?

This is a common question among Massachusetts residents.

Is there a tick peak season.  Well, yes.  There is not only a tick peak season, but two periods of peak tick activity in Massachusetts each year.  Wait, what?  You read that correctly.  Ticks are not simply active in the summer.

Do ticks have a season?
Do ticks have a season?

Tick peak season, take one.

Who doesn’t love the emergence of springtime?  We are coming out of our winter slump, taking in warm sunshine, fresh air, and burst of flora and fauna.  Ticks also love the spring!  With spring’s arrival, ticks too come out of their lairs.  Most notably, are the tiniest ticks – nymphs.  Nigh undetectable, nymph ticks come on strong around April.  They are plentiful and they are famished.  Since they are so hungry, they feed on blood sources close to them, such as mice.  The problem is, these same mice are common carriers of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.  Next on their menu could be you, or your child, or even your pet.  Since an estimated 90% of white-footed mice in our area are carriers of Lyme bacteria, your odds of contracting Lyme infection from a nymph tick bite in the springtime is very high.  Once ticks emerge in the springtime, they are quite active through the end of August in Massachusetts.  Our first tick peak season is April through August.

tick peak season one - April through August
Our first tick peak season is April through August.

Also read: Is Powassan virus in Massachusetts?

Tick peak season, take two.

You might think that ticks scurry away or even die after spring and summer.  Such is not the case, however.  Our warming climate is now supporting longer tick peak seasons and the spread of new tick species in Massachusetts.  When we talk about who is hungry for blood in tick peak season two, it’s adult females.  These voracious ticks are looking for a final blood meal to fertilize their tick eggs before they enter dormancy.  Even though nymph ticks are the biggest spreaders of Lyme disease, you can still be infected by an adult tick after summer.  It’s possible to get Lyme infection any time of year, in fact.  Our second tick peak season takes place in October and November in Massachusetts.

tick peak season two - October through November
Tick peak season two is October through November in Massachusetts.

Tick control knows no season.

To combat ticks all year long, you must seek a reputable tick control company.  These experts will provide you with tailored methods of protection around your home.  In the first peak season, they will deploy barrier control protection.  In October, they will deploy tick control tubes to fortify your year-round protection.

Also read: Can I get a tick bite in the winter?

 

Tick Control Tubes, Your Frontline Defense Against Ticks

When we think of tick control, we might immediately call to mind yard spray.

But have you ever considered the benefits of tick control tubes?  Have you even hard about them?  Here in Massachusetts, ticks are undoubtedly a problem.  Thing is, ticks are not simply relegated to a three-month season, after which they die or disappear.  Historically, our winters might have been cold enough to combat tick populations.  However, today is much different.  Fall is yet a transitions season into our cold weather season, but the definition of cold winters in Massachusetts has changed.  Therefore, ticks remain an issue all year long.

Weymouth tick control with tick control tubes
Tick control tubes are the answer to milder fall and winter temperatures in Massachusetts

Tick control tubes pick up where Mother Nature leaves off.

tick control tubes Weymouth tick control
Tick control tube

Mother Nature might have taken a cold weather hiatus in our area – perhaps for good and all.  And while Massachusetts residents might enjoy the reprieve from constant snow shoveling and layering up just to run to the mailbox each day, ticks also benefit from milder winter seasons.  They are surviving and thriving.  When temperatures cool below 45 degrees consistently, ticks cozy up beneath ground litter, living amongst the rodent population, and sometimes continuing to feed on them.  Enter, your frontline tick defense – tick control tubes!

Also read: What is a tick control tube?

How do tick control tubes work?

If you are thinking that ticks just meander their way into tick control tubes, think again.  They might look a bit like a trap or a lure, but the fact is, nothing lures ticks except warm-blooded animals on which they feed.  This is where Mother Nature actually begins to help.  The natural drive of ground rodents, such as mice, has them scrounging for materials to build their nests when it’s cold outside.  Tick tubes are the vehicle for providing those materials, as they are filled with comfy cotton that will be perfect for creating a cozy habitat.  This cotton, however, is covered with tick eliminating insecticide.  It eliminates ticks that try to feed on the mice or live in their nests.  It does not adversely affect the mice whatsoever.  Tick tubes are the most effective method of getting to ticks and their offspring where they live in the fall and winter.  You will notice fewer ticks on your property in the spring.

Weymouth tick control is set it and forget it!

By employing a Weymouth tick control specialist to place tick tubes around your property this time of year, you are investing in peace of mind all year.  This ingenious method of killing ticks is the key to reducing the number of ticks and the number of tick-borne illnesses in Massachusetts.

Also read: Is Powassan virus in Massachusetts?

 

 

Can Alpha-Gal Sufferers Eat Turkey and Chicken?

Those, who suffer from Alpha-gal Syndrome, it is known that pork and beef are off the menu.

But can these tick bite victims eat chicken and turkey?  The unfortunate truth?  Not all chicken and turkey products are safe for Lone Star tick bite victims with Alpha-gal Syndrome.

Is turkey safe for Alpha-Gal sufferers?
Is turkey safe for Alpha-Gal sufferers?

Coming from a middle class family, we were taught never to take what we enjoyed for granted. My dad worked as a mail carrier; and he also worked several nights part-time in a neighborhood liquor store to augment our family income. My mom also worked in the payroll department of a major department store – way before the days of direct deposit were even a pipe dream. Store employees received their wages in cash, nestled in hard addressed envelopes.  True.

Part of our gestalt behavior was to only eat what you said you wanted at mealtime. Wasting food was a sin, a mindset that came from our ancestors who suffered through the Great Depression.

If you’re still with me, this is why I share this. My family cherishes mealtime when our children and grandchildren can all be in the same place at the same time – an an event made even more precious since the days of COVID isolation.

Last Easter, we decided to bite the proverbial bullet and host dinner outside on our backyard patio for the nine of us. My wife decided to make sauce – or better known as Italian Sunday Sauce or Gravy.

The preparation of enjoying such a feast is virtually an all-day affair. The early morning hours found her in our kitchen handcrafting meatballs of ground beef, veal, and lamb, beautifully seasoned with breadcrumbs, eggs, and loads of Pecorino Romano cheese. For an extra layer of flavor, a slab of spareribs was also cut up and fried in virgin olive oil after the meatballs and added to the simmering sauce.

Plan B – Sunday Gravy For An Alpha-Gal Sufferer

With our son-in-law now suffering from AGS due to a Lone Star tick bite he received when visiting a local farm, my wife put on her thinking cap and decided to create an alternative recipe which we could ALL safely enjoy.

The solution for the meat substitutes? Chicken sausage and turkey sausage – a creative stroke of genius – or so I thought.

As we sat down in the fresh Spring air to enjoy this inventive feast, my son-in-law said, “Mom, this is all wonderful – and I really appreciate it – but I can’t eat it. The sausages are in pig casings.”  THUD.

Turkey sausage is not safe for Alpha-Gal Sufferers
Turkey sausage is not safe for Alpha-Gal sufferers.

All that effort, all that time, and all that money virtually wasted. Of course the rest of the family enjoyed it as we did an “exit stage left” and whipped up a box of mac and cheese for him.

Animal Food Products And By-Products That May Contain Alpha-Gal

Not all patients with AGS have reactions to every ingredient containing alpha-gal. The CDC reports that the following foods or food ingredients may contain alpha-gal. This is not a list of all products or ingredients that may contain alpha-gal.

  1. Mammalian meat (such as beef, pork, lamb, venison, rabbit, etc.) can contain high amounts of alpha-gal. Certain cuts of meat may contain more alpha-gal than others. For example, organ meat of mammals, including liver, lung, heart, kidneys, intestines (tripe), sweetbreads, scrapple, and Rocky Mountain or prairie oysters generally contain high amounts of alpha-gal.
  2. Food products that contain milk and milk products typically contain alpha-gal. Cow’s milk is the only alpha-gal containing ingredient classified as a major food allergen.
  3. Some people with AGS may also be sensitive to alpha-gal found in:
    Gelatin made from beef or pork
    Products made from or cooked with mammalian fat (such as lard, tallow, or suet)
    Meat broth, bouillon, stock, and gravy

Avoid The Serious Threat Of Getting Bitten By A Lone Star Tick With Central Massachusetts Tick Control

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast
Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

When at home, protect yourself, your family, and those near and dear to you with regularly scheduled Randolph tick control, where ticks frequently hide out waiting for their next free ride on humans and pets.

Also read: How bad are ticks in Massachusetts?

How long does it take to get Powassan virus from a tick?

Powassan virus is a rare tick-borne illness.  It is primarily spread by deer ticks.

As you might know, it takes 24 to 48 hours of attachment for a deer tick to pass Lyme infection.  If an engorged deer tick is found on a person or pet, there is a chance that the tick has been attached long enough to spread Lyme bacteria.  But is the same true for the much rarer Powassan virus?

How long does it take to contract Powassan virus?
How long does it take to contract Powassan virus?

How long does a tick have to be attached to pass Powassan virus?

Experts believe that Powassan virus can be contracted in only 15 minutes.  In a People Magazine article dated July 30, 2022, a family speaks about their experience with this potentially fatal disease.  A three-year-old in Pennsylvania fell gravely ill after his mother found a tick on him.  His mother explained the tick was, “non-embedded or engorged,” and so they went on about their day without giving much thought to the tick.

Deer ticks can pass Powassan in only 15 minutes.
Deer ticks can pass Powassan in only 15 minutes.

This family has prior experience with tick bites, as the boy’s older sister contracted Lyme disease a few years ago.  The vigilant mother noted that a small red bump had formed on his skin a few days after finding the tick, but again, this was not particular cause for concern.

After two weeks passed, the boy’s daycare provider began to notice lethargy and said that he had also complained of a headache.  Within a few days, a temperature of 104 spurred his parents to take him to the hospital.  Due to an elevated white blood cell count, he was tested for viral and bacterial meningitis – both being ruled out.  On day five of the boy’s hospital stay, an MRI confirmed a meningoencephalitis diagnosis.  Within 15 hours of an IV of immunoglobulin, he woke up and began talking to his family.  After spending nearly two weeks in the hospital, he was released.  A few days later, doctors confirmed the Powassan virus diagnosis.  Though this disease is most unfortunate, his case is one of fortune.  That is because approximately 10% of sufferers with sever infection do not survive Powassan.  Though his parents are hopeful about the future, there are aspects of the boy’s recovery that are yet unknown.  A Facebook group about the family’s experience has been created but to raise awareness about the disease.

Hingham tick control will help you avoid ticks.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast
Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Encountering ticks can be likened to a game of Russian roulette.  Why take the chance when you don’t have to?  I recommend that families enlist the help of professional tick control providers to help keep ticks away from their homes.  Even still, there is no tick treatment that is 100% effective.  Therefore, I also recommend vigilance in performing tick checks after spending time outdoors.  This is especially important for campers, hikers, gardeners, and children, who have been playing outdoors.  Pets are family too – they must be checked for ticks frequently!

Also read: Is Powassan virus in Massachusetts?