Health warning issued after Maynard MA resident contracts rare and dangerous tick-borne illness

Earlier this week, Maynard MA health officials issued a warning to Central MA residents after a confirmed case of Powassan virus, a very rare and dangerous tick-borne illness.

Powassan is viral infection passed from an infected tick to humans, which can cause encephalitis and meningitis – infections of the brain and spinal cord. It cannot be spread from human-to-human. Though rare, the number of reported illnesses resulting from Powassan in Central Mass have risen over the last few years.

Central MA tick protection is essential for the prevention of tick-borne illnesses, such as Powassan

Maynard Public Health Division and Town Administrator, Greg Johnson, are reminding Central Mass residents to always practice proper tick protection while enjoying the great outdoors.

If you are going into wooded or grassy areas, where ticks are prevalent, here are some easy rules to follow:

Walk in the middle of wooded trails during hikes, away from foliage
Use repellent, such as DEET or picaridin on exposed skin, strictly following product application instructions
Check your entire body for ticks when you return from the outdoors – use a handheld or full-length mirror to help – ticks will try to hide in unseen areas, such as behind the ears, in the groin, armpits, and between toes
Always check your pets for ticks when they come in from the outdoors

What if you find that you have been bitten by a deer tick?

If you find a tick attached after a day out, follow proper tick removal instructions, save the tick, and mark the date on your calendar when the bite occurred. Then, be mindful of potential tick-borne illness symptoms, like:

Fever/chills
Aches and pains – headache, muscle aches, joint pain
Rashes – like Rocky Mountain spotted fever rash, or the bullseye rash associated with Lyme disease

See Additional Tick Bite Information Here >> Is your tick bite infected?

At-home tick control in Central Mass

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

Not only is it important to protect yourself outdoors while you are away from Central Mass home, but it is imperative to hire a tick control company to protect your family at home. A reputable Central MA tick control company will offer an EPA-registered treatment for your yard to keep your family safe from the threat of tick bites and tick-borne illnesses for up to three weeks. Prevention is key!

Monster Hyalomma tick spotted in the Netherlands

Central Mass ticks and tick-borne illnesses are a hot topic. Between dog ticks, black-legged ticks, and deer ticks, we have enough to worry about with regard to tick-borne diseases. This monster tick will make you glad that you live in Central MA!

The Hyalomma tick is said to have originated in Iran or the southern part of the former Soviet Union, and it’s making its way throughout parts of Europe, which have not before seen it. Two Hylomma ticks have recently been identified in the Netherlands. I call it a monster tick for a few reasons.

montster tick — *Can you imagine a monster lurking in the Central MA woods?*

Reason #1 the Hyalomma tick is a monster

The size of the Hyalomma tick is literally monster-size! This thirsty blood-sucker is about twice the size of more common ticks in the Netherlands – measuring 1/5″ until it feeds, at which time it measures over 1/2″. We have discussed some nymph ticks that are native to our area, which are about the size of a poppy seed. Can you imagine encountering this big guy?

Hyalomma tick vs sheep tick size — *Take a look at the size difference in a Hyalomma tick versus the sheep tick.*

The second reason I call this tick a monster

Since the Hyalomma tick is native to regions with harsh-desert environmental conditions with few hosts available on which to feed, it has adapted in a truly unusual way. This monster tick will literally chase its host to get its blood meal!

Found in woodlands, dunes, gardens, and meadows, Hyalomma ticks sense body heat, vibrations, or scents of hosts when nearby, and run towards the host to feed on their blood. It is said that they will stalk their hosts for up to 10 minutes, and travel hundreds of feet.

The third reason these ticks are monsters

As with our Central MA native ticks, the Hyalomma tick is a disease carrier and spreader. Most commonly, they spread spotted fever to humans and Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) to horses. Though, they have tested negative for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, common to agricultural workers in eastern Eurpoe, the Mediterranean, parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Protect your family from Central Mass ticks and the diseases they carry with effective tick control measures

While we have not yet be invaded by the monster Hyalomma tick, the ticks that are commonly found here in Central Mass are still monstrous in their own rights. They threaten the health of our families with nasty tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Babesiosis. As always, your best bet at protection is with total professional Central Mass tick control.

Imagine if doctors in Central Mass denied Lyme disease treatment

For years, a debate has been in the forefront of the Australian medical community. Do they have ticks that cause Lyme disease? Are they continuing misdiagnose or refusing to diagnose and treat Lyme disease for those infected in Australia?

Many physicians and those in the medical community in Australia are still acting under the notion that residents cannot contract Lyme disease from domestic species of ticks. Those, who believe it impossible, believe that there are no domestic instances of Lyme disease – that anyone in Australia with Lyme or “Lyme-like” disease, contracted it from a tick bite received outside of Australia. If you ask me, these folks have blinders on, and their citizens are suffering for their beliefs. This story broke to worldwide attention in 2017.

“Perth-based doctor Hugh Derham diagnosed Ms Bool with Lyme disease after sending her blood tests to Australian…

Meanwhile, Rebecca Bool’s health continued to plummet.

Perth resident, Rebecca Bool, suffered a tick bite while vacationing in Kalbarri over the Christmas holiday in 2014. Even though this tick bite produced an immediate bullseye rash, soreness, and loss of bladder control, the doctors she sought medical attention from, dismissed her symptoms as a simple viral infection, and sent her on her way. Lyme was not a consideration.

Ms. Bool was so sick and distraught after being dismissed as “not sick” or “mentally ill” that she attempted suicide three months after being bitten by a tick. I wish that Lyme disease didn’t exist in Central Mass, but I am glad that there are effective treatments and ongoing research for those infected!

In 2018, The Lyme Disease Association of Australia began a pilot Lyme study, much to the relief of patients like Rebecca Bool.

Thousands of undiagnosed Lyme disease sufferers in Australia are breathing a collective sigh of relief now that steps have been put into motion to begin properly diagnosing and treating Lyme. This effort will save lives, and give those, who have had little hope for their future, a more positive outlook.

Lyme disease study

Essential tick control in Central Mass

As Central Mass residents, we must all be mindful of effective tick control for our homes and families. Even though we have effective Lyme treatments, it’s much better to offer proper tick protection to our families that to treat this horrible disease. Prevention is key!

Did the U.S. government use ticks as biological weapons?

On July 12, DC lawmakers passed the fiscal 2020 defense authorization bill, which contained an amendment that would require the Department of Defense inspector general to investigate and report whether ticks, mice, and mosquitoes were weaponized with diseases to be used in biological warfare from the 1950’s to the 1970’s.

Lyme disease as biological warfare

There will be an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 confirmed new reports of Lyme disease cases this year. Could our own government have played a part in the mutation and spread of Lyme disease? How can this be possible? Did scientists for the Department of Defense weaponize insects and animals, and were they purposefully or accidentally released into the American population?

Research, development, and possible deployment methodology in the towns of Frederick MD and Southold NY are in question.

Did this happen, and to what extent? Fort Detrick in Maryland housed a laboratory, whose focus was weaponizing insects, such as ticks and mosquitoes, to be used as biological weapons against U.S. enemies. Plum Island, the federally-funded animal disease research facility, is also implicated in the potential development of diseases and animals to be used in biological warfare.

Did the U.S. government weaponize diseased rats and mice?

In 1990, it was said that Fort Detrick had been accused in 1952, of infecting rats and insects, and releasing them in North Korea during the Korean war. At that time, it has since been reported that Fort Detrick labs had the capabilities to breed 130 million Yellow Fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) per month, and inject them with the disease. It is said that these diseased mosquitoes were proposed to be delivered across enemy lines via warheads.

Are Lyme infected ticks biological weapons? — Research into biological warfare could still be used to help protect our soldiers.

In 1969, President Nixon ended biological warfare research, but research in how to protect American soldiers against it could have continued.

Why do we need to know if ticks were used as biological weapons so long ago?

Understanding how Lyme disease might have been developed or mutated to further or more quickly pass to humans could hold the clues to tempering the spread of the disease. To truly grasp the disease we have today, we must understand its evolution. Congressional budget approval could make or break new research into Lyme and developments in how to lessen or eradicate spread of Lyme.

Protect your Central Mass family from the threat of Lyme disease.

Mosquito and tick-borne diseases are a true threat to our families. I always recommending protecting your home and family with Central Mass tick protection and mosquito control. Hire a reputable tick control company to allay your chances of a negative tick encounter, resulting in Lyme disease or other illnesses.

Deer tick fully attaches to man’s eyeball!

Wow! Can ticks really do that?

Just when I thought that I had seen it all when it comes to ticks, I come across a post like this one. Though, Healthline.com states that ticks commonly attach and embed themselves on the groin, behind the knee, under the arm, inside the ear or bellybutton, or in the hair, it looks like this gentleman stumbled upon new tick frontiers when one attached and embedded itself to his eyeball.

Outdoor workers are very susceptible to tick invasions.

small ticks — Small nymph ticks are hard to identify with the naked eye!

Even this vigilant serviceman in Paintsville Lake, Kentucky, who practices proper tick protection while at work, was the perfect tick target! This tiny tick, purported to be no larger than the tip of a writing pen, made its mischievous way right into his eye. He, of course, noticed that something was in his eye. After repeated attempts to rinse out what he thought was some sort of debris, the barely-visible speck was not budging and so painful that he had to seek medical attention. The photos we see in the post are from the eye doctor. Even magnified, this poppy seed-sized tick is difficult to identify!

What can outdoor workers do for personal tick protection?

It is always recommended that those, who work outdoors, practice personal tick safety. Using a repellent, such as DEET or permethrin on your clothing. Wear long sleeves – the less exposed skin, the better! Keep long hair pulled back, and be sure to check for ticks throughout the day, which might be hiding on your body. Per this recent tick eyeball invasion, safety glasses are a great idea whenever possible, even if not required for outdoor workers!

What if you bring home a tick anyway? Read about Central Mass tick removal and testing.

As always, I urge all Central Mass residents to take advantage of professional tick control and protection for their home. Keep your family and pets safe from the threat of ticks by eliminating up to 95% of ticks on your property with an EPA-registered tick control spray.

This is is not science fiction: ravenous, self-cloning tick invading the US

This might sound like a sci-fi summer movie, but it’s real life for US residents now. The Asian longhorned tick is feeding on America’s wildlife and livestock – and it’s the scariest tick you ever heard of!

Warmer wintertime temperatures are allowing ticks to live longer in the United States, and that includes accidentally-imported ticks, such as the Asian self-cloning tick that I have been reading about.

Reputable tick control companies are now offering tick tube programs, which effectively eliminate ticks by-proxy through nesting efforts of mice in the “off season.” Mice will create their nests with cotton that has been treated to kill ticks. The cotton does not hurt the mice, but when a tick bites one of the mice, who have nested with this treated cotton, it receives a lethal dose of the tick control treatment. These extra measures are becoming commonplace measures in the Central Mass fight against these blood-sucking invaders, including the Asian longhorned tick that has us more worried than ever about effective tick protection.

What’s so scary about the Asian longhorned tick?

Not only does this thirsty tick having cloning abilities – females can reproduce without a male – but these tick clone armies are killing livestock by blood loss! A recent report of young bull in Surry County, NC, who was covered with one thousand longhorned ticks, was drained of his blood supply, causing acute anemia (usually associated with hemorrhaging). If this doesn’t scare you, I don’t know what will!

longhorned ticks

This deadly, self-cloning tick was first reported in the United States in 2017, and has since been identified in at least 10 US states, including: North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and Arkansas. It’s likely already in other states too, including Massachusetts, but just has not yet been reported and identified!

Asian longhorned ticks

Longhorned ticks also spread diseases!

Though their cloning abilities and blood-sucking capabilities are the scariest bits about this hungry Asian import, the longhorned tick is known to spread tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever.

The good news is that these thirsty tick-clone armies are eliminated with the same Central Mass tick control treatments used to kill other ticks! I recommend protecting your home and family year-round with professional tick protection measures, including a tick control program! An effective tick control spray can be applied to your property, eliminating ticks on contact, and continuing to work for up to three weeks – killing up to 95% of the ticks in and around your property.

These Lyme disease symptoms might surprise you!

Most Central Mass residents are familiar with common Lyme symptoms to watch for, such as the bullseye rash that follows a tick bite. These Lyme disease symptoms might surprise you!

headaches are a symptom of Lyme disease Lyme disease has only been recognized as an illness since 1975, and over the last four decades, many a breakthrough has been made in treating Lyme. Fact is, if symptoms are caught early, and a diagnosis is made, you have a great chance of ridding yourself of long-lasting effects. Unexpected Lyme disease symptoms can be headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, slurred speech, numbness in extremities, and even heart palpitations! Here are some other symptoms of Lyme that you might not have expected.

Sleeplessness can be a Central Mass Lyme disease symptom
Are you usually a restful sleeper, but have recently found it difficult to fall asleep? Believe it or not, sudden sleepless nights could be an early-stage Lyme symptom. Due to the prevalence of ticks and tick-borne illnesses in Central Mass, if you are experiencing sudden sleeplessness, your doctor will want to test you for Lyme disease.

sleeplessness is a Lyme symptom — *If you are suffering from sudden and prolonged sleeplessness, see your doctor.*

Chills can be a symptom of Lyme disease
It’s 85 degrees outside, but you cannot seem to get warm. Most of us have experienced fever and chills, most times attributed to common illnesses, such as flu, but uncontrollable chilling can be a Lyme symptom. If you find yourself switching off the air conditioning, and wrapping yourself in blankets, see your doctor to be on the safe side.

Dizziness can be a Lyme disease symptom
All of a sudden feeling like you’ve just gotten off a carnival ride, even though you haven’t? Dizziness is a tricky symptom, because it can be caused by other less urgent issues. Maybe you feel light-headed if you skip breakfast, or if you stand up too quickly. That’s why dizziness is commonly missed as a Lyme symptom – because we chalk it up to something else. If you’re fighting dizziness, see your doctor.

dizziness is a symptom of Lyme disease — *If you are suffering from unexplained dizziness, see your doctor.*

Fatigue can be a symptom of Lyme disease
Are you a great sleeper, who gets the prescribed uninterrupted seven to nine hours of sleep per night, but still cannot seem to fight extreme fatigue? Lyme disease can creep upon us under the guise of not getting proper rest, resulting in fatigue that interrupts your daily life. If you are feeling extreme, unexplained fatigue, your doctor might want to test you for Lyme disease.

fatigue is a Lyme disease symptom — *Feeling unusually fatigued? See your doctor.*

Central Mass tick control is essential to the prevention of the spread Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. I always recommend enlisting a professional Central Mass tick control company to ensure your family’s good health. Remember to see a doctor if you are having any of these commonly missed Lyme disease symptoms. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Lyme disease: scientific breakthrough lays groundwork for new Lyme treatment

Lyme disease treatment — *Treatment of persistent Lyme disease symptoms is a lifelong battle for some.*

There are 30,000 new reports of Lyme disease to the CDC each year in the United States, but that does not account for the annual estimated occurrences of Lyme. One CDC report estimates 329,000 Lyme disease diagnoses per year in a five-year span!

The higher incidence of Lyme is both due to higher tick populations, as well as improvements in diagnosis. But what happens after diagnosis? Do patients receive treatment, and go back to life as usual? Well, some do. Others, regrettably suffer from persistent Lyme disease symptoms, one of the most common is Lyme arthritis. Sufferers of Lyme arthritis endure a lifetime of joint inflammation and life-altering pain.

Lyme arthritis shows the presence of a particular cellular component of Lyme bacteria, called peptidoglycan.

Persistent Lyme arthritis is a lifelong battle for many, with life-altering pain. Some patients, who have tried all available medical treatments seek out holistic methods of pain relief, spending thousands of dollars out-of-pocket each year.

Thanks to Virginia Tech biochemist, Brandon Jutras, there is hope in treatment or even a cure for Lyme arthritis on the scientific horizon! Jutras has found that during the multiplication of Lyme-causing bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, it sheds a cellular component, peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan exists in synovial fluid of Lyme arthritis sufferers, causing inflammation.

“We can actually detect peptidoglycan in the synovial fluid of the affected, inflamed joints of patients that have all the symptoms of Lyme arthritis but no longer have an obvious, active infection,” Jutras said.
Medical Xpress

The next phase of treatment of Lyme arthritis will be to find ways to destroy or eliminate the body’s response to peptidoglycan that comes from Borrelia burgdorferi, effectively eliminating Lyme symptoms!

While these scientific breakthroughs are spreading hope throughout the population of those, who suffer with persistent Lyme disease, there is but one sure method of Central Mass Lyme disease protection, and that is by prevention.

Tick control methods are available, and should be a top priority for Central Mass residents, to prevent ticks from invading their yards and homes. A barrier spray will eliminate ticks on contact, and an additional comprehensive tick tube treatment will further prevent ticks by eliminating them when they take their first blood meal from mice. Call a professional tick control company to protect your home and family!

Should you remove a tick with peppermint oil? Do NOT remove a tick with peppermint oil!

Why would we ask this question?

Some fake news is worth reporting and re-reporting. A couple of years ago, a tick removal video spread like wildfire across social media, and for good reason! Essential oils are commonly used for ailments, such as migraines and sleeplessness, and even play a role in all-natural mosquito protection. However, using peppermint oil to remove a tick from your skin is a BIG no-no! This video showed how easily it was to get the tick to back off by applying peppermint oil, but this should not be repeated. This is a situation, where the poster’s heart was probably in the right place, but did not realize the harm this viral video could do.

This tick removal video is dangerous business, but why?

First of all, it is believed that this tick was not actually attached, and could be a male tick. Male ticks do not attach themselves to hosts. Their main goal in life is to find a female to mate with. Female ticks attach to hosts, and spread tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease, with their saliva. Had this been a female tick, which was attached for her blood meal, applying peppermint oil could have created a situation where she produced and injected more saliva to the person. Very dangerous business!

How should a tick be removed properly?

Removing ticks is a fairly unscientific process, but should be followed carefully for proper removal, as to not leave the head or other mouth parts in your skin.

Use pointed-tip tweezers, so you can position the tool at the proper 90-degree angle in which the tick should be removed. Get a firm hold of the tick, very close to the skin. Use a steady, fluid motion for removal – DO NOT pull quickly or jerk, as doing so could likely leave behind tick parts under your skin.

Central Mass ticks – what do you do after tick removal?

Blood tests might reveal tick-borne illness following tick removal.

With the prevalence of Lyme disease in Central Mass, it is essential that once you properly remove a tick, that you put the tick in a sealed container, such as a plastic bag or old prescription bottle. Save the tick and observe yourself for signs of infection for at least 30 days. Sealing and saving the tick will allow for further disease testing to be done if you show signs of tick-borne illness. If you feel ill for any reason, please see a doctor, and let them know that you recently removed a tick from your skin.

Central Mass tick control is essential for your family.

I urge all Central Mass residents to be vigilant in their tick protection methods. Please consider protecting your home and family from the threat of tick-borne diseases by preventing ticks from reaching them. Call on a professional tick protection company, who will use a barrier protection spray for your property. These EPA-registered tick control sprays are administered every three weeks or so. They will knock down ticks on contact, and continue eliminating them with a special time-released tick protection formula.

Beach safety for the whole family, including tick protection

Sadly, we see social media posts like this one, recirculating from last year, which alert us of the potential dangers of a seemingly innocent day of fun at the beach with our children and pets. The beach can be a haven – a place of fun, sunshine, and respite…but we must be vigilant in following important safety tips, including those that protect us from tick bites.

Tick protection is essential – protect your kids and pets from ticks at the beach

*Tick protection is essential, even on the beach!*

It’s easy to assume that we won’t encounter ticks at the beach, as there might not be a lot of grass or wooded areas, but that assumption is incorrect. Ticks do live at the beach, carried there by wildlife, and waiting to take their blood meal from an unsuspecting victim.

Protect yourself, your children, and your pets from ticks at the beach by following these tips:

Do not sit among dunes or grassy areas on the beach
Use permethrin on your clothes, DEET on exposed skin
Keep long hair pulled back
Use tick prevention on your pets
Check towels, clothing, yourselves, your children, and your pets from head to toe when you are ready to leave – repeat when you arrive home
Baths and showers for everyone when you get home, including your pet

What do you do if you find a tick? — ***Here’s what to do if you find a tick !***

Beach safety tips for your dog

Pets can have a great day visiting the beach with us, but there are additional dangers that we might face when bringing Fido on a beach day. I want you to be aware that fleas and ticks are not the only hidden dangers on the beach, as the Facebook post above illustrates.

Have a happy and safe day of fun by following these tips:

Bring lots of fresh water, and a big bowl that won’t turn over
Be mindful of not allowing your dog to ingest saltwater during play (i.e. fetching the ball in the water)
Consider a life vest if your dog likes to go into the water
Bring a cooling mat or cooling vest for your dog, especially if they are a short-nosed (Brachycephalic )
Give your dog a thorough check for fleas and ticks when you are ready to go home
Bathe and re-check your dog when you arrive home, to rid his skin of itchy saltwater residue and irritating sand

*Give your dog a bath after the beach – even if he doesn’t enjoy it!*

Did you know that your dog can suffer paralysis from a tick bite?

As always, I am committed to spreading awareness about tick protection, and the prevention of tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease, in Central Mass and beyond. I hope that you and your family have a fun, safe, and tick-free summer this year with professional tick control around your home and yard!