Ticks Danger Increasing

Search
Go

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List
This thread has been locked
Messages 1 - 20 of total 50 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
TomCochrane

Trad climber
Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay
Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 25, 2016 - 04:24pm PT
Lyme disease is a serious risk for those of us spending a lot of time out of doors. Basic prevention is tucking pant legs into socks, checking several times a day for ticks onboard, and spraying Permethrin on external clothing.

Ticks like warm, fuzzy places, so a small hand mirror is an important item to include in your kit.

Permethrin is nasty stuff, so the preferred method of use is to hang up outer clothing away from camp, spraying the clothing and shoes, and then letting it dry and air out overnight before wearing.

10 Important Ways to Avoid Summer Tick Bites
By Tia Ghose, Staff Writer | June 06, 2014 03:01pm ET

Ticks seek out a host by hanging on to a blade of grass with their rear legs and holding their front legs aloft, waiting for something to brush by so they can grab on. This behavior is called "questing."
Credit: CDC

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 4:50 p.m. ET:

It's summertime, which means outdoor play, hiking, gardening — and tick bites. The creepy crawlies tend to latch on during the summer months and these arachnids are ubiquitous throughout the U.S.

But tick bites are more than just an annoying spring and summer nuisance. Each year, about 300,000 people in the U.S. catch Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria, from a tick bite, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. Thousands more develop tick-borne diseases such as the malarialike disease babesiosis, the flulike anaplasmosis and the Heartland virus infection.


But people can take steps to avoid the nasty critters, beyond the old-standby advice to cover up and avoid tall grass, experts say. From wood chips to a quick ride in the dryer, here are 10 ways to avoid tick bites. [Gross! Watch a Tick Bite in Action]

1. Repel the bugs

Insecticides can be used to repel ticks, said Thomas Mather, a public health entomologist at the University of Rhode Island, and the director of tickencounter.org.

Permethrin, the insecticide found in antimalarial bed nets, kills adult ticks as well as those in their larval stage, called nymphs, which are the likeliest to harbor Lyme disease.

Ideally, people should buy permethrin-treated clothing, socks and shoes, Mather said.

By contrast, evidence suggests that the more common bug spray chemical, N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), isn't useful against ticks.

"It's not toxic to the ticks," Mather told Live Science. "They still can scurry across a DEET-treated surface, and get to places where the DEET is not," such as a warm human leg, he said.

2. Be vigilant at home

Hiking and camping aren't the most common ways to catch a tick-borne disease, said Kirby Stafford III, the state entomologist at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and the author of the "Tick Management Handbook."

"We estimate three-fourths of people pick up the ticks in activities in and around the home," with children's play and gardening being some of the riskiest activities, Stafford told Live Science.

Parents should also make sure to do tick checks on children when they come in, he said.

3. Stay in the sun

Tick nymphs have leaky cuticles, or outer covers, that rapidly lose moisture. As a result, they can't survive in environments with lower than 80 percent humidity for more than eight hours, Mather said.

As a result, nymphs congregate in leaf piles in shady, humid environments, so sticking to sunny areas can reduce tick exposure, he said.

4. Change the landscape

Most ticks around homes stay within a few yards of the interface between the yard and a wooded area, Stafford said.

To keep the yard tick-free, use landscaping that deters mice, deer, woodchucks and other rodents that carry ticks, he said. People should also remove tick habitat such as leaf piles, shrubs and groundcover near the house. Play sets should be kept in the sun, away from the shade, he added.

Ticks won't cross a barrier of wood chips placed around the yard's perimeter, perhaps because the dry material makes them dry out too much, he said.

5. Check the dog

Though American dog ticks don't usually harbor diseases that sicken people, the lone star tick can often hitchhike on a pet into the home, so pet owners should check pets for the bugs as soon as they come indoors.

"Give them a good rub down and give them a good spray with the hose. They hate it but you can make it fun," Donohoe said.

6. Cover up

Covering up can prevent ticks from latching on, said Holly Donohoe, a researcher at the University of Florida who studies the health risks of travel and sports.

"Tucking pants into socks is a totally nerdy-looking thing, but in this case it can save you the suffering from a tick-borne disease later on," Donohoe said.

Of course, that advice may be hard to follow during peak tick season, Stafford said.

"In the summer months nobody is going to do that, it's too hot. I don't. I'll be protected from ticks but keel over from heat stroke," he said. Other prevention measures may be more useful when the mercury rises.

7. Lighten up

The clothes people wear should also be light, said Kathryn Berger, a disease ecologist at the University of Calgary in Canada.

"Nymphal ticks are about the size of a poppy seed, so if you wear lighter-colored clothing like light socks, lighter-colored pants, you're going to have an easier time identifying them."

8. Quick dry clothing

Because ticks are so vulnerable to drying out, the hitchhiking parasites can be killed by giving clothing a quick whirl in the dryer on high heat for five minutes, Mather said.

Ticks can survive the wash, and people who have to both wash and dry their clothes may just toss their clothing into a pile for later. It's better to do a quick dry cycle immediately than to let the tick linger, he said.

9. Shower and inspect

After high-risk activities, people should immediately take their clothes off and do a tick inspection and shower. People who are in the habit of showering immediately after outdoor activities are less likely to get Lyme disease, perhaps because they can catch any biting ticks before they've transmitted the disease, Stafford said.

After biting, ticks can take several hours to transmit Lyme disease, said Laura Kramer, the director of the Arbovirus Laboratory at the New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center.

10. Remove the tick

If, after taking all these precautions, people do get bitten, they should remove the tick immediately with tweezers or forceps, experts said.

It's important to visit a doctor if flulike symptoms or a suspicious rash appear, and to bring the tick in for testing by a state health department to see if it harbors any diseases, Kramer told Live Science.

http://www.livescience.com/46160-how-to-avoid-tick-bites.html
Sparky

Trad climber
vagabond movin on
Jan 25, 2016 - 04:56pm PT
Once they bite, forget the matches and tweezer. These gizmos are well worth it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X7072HY/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687702&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00076NT64&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1JGHRJ8T1CBMZBXTRQGB
TomCochrane

Trad climber
Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 25, 2016 - 05:35pm PT
two colleagues have died from it
two others have nearly died from it
one in a wheel chair from it

very glad if you have been lucky

yes, Sparky, that device is very handy. In the past 24 hrs I used one of those to remove a tick from the back of a friend's neck and to remove another tick from a dog. Forceps and tweezers are also part of the kit I use.
bluering

Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
Jan 25, 2016 - 06:03pm PT
Yeah, a buddy of mine was positive for Lyme from a Skyline Blvd tick. Aquarian Valley.

I think he did a Cipro regimen. I'm just meticulous when I go in those types of areas, Aquarian Valley has medium high grass over climber/game trails. Perfect area for ticks!

Always check yer pants-legs ever few minutes in those kinds of conditions. They are usually in places where there is minimal human traffic, buts lots of game traffic. Especially deer.

TomCochrane

Trad climber
Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 25, 2016 - 07:40pm PT
the medical profession has been slow to pick up on testing for this and it is frequently mis-diagnosed until too late

its supposed bioengineered 'conspiracy theory' assures its lack of popularity within the profession

also it sometimes reappears after supposedly being 'cured'

a relatively few doctors have become expert in its diagnosis and treatment

the earlier it is caught, the more easily it can be cured…so delayed or misdiagnosis can produce tragic consequences
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Feb 8, 2016 - 05:45pm PT
lots of pathological fear and misinformation

And maybe it is well founded fear:

http://www.empr.com/news/cdc-novel-lyme-disease-pathogen-discovered/article/471955/

Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Feb 8, 2016 - 06:07pm PT
First of all any thing from Tom Cochrane, should be taken as sage and wise advice,
at least seriously considered,
I'm no fan of space exploration what I saw as the biggest waste of man kinds best minds.
And then he schooled me that things that go bump in space are not or may not be as they appear.

Why would any one try to disparage an attempt to bring a very real threat to everyone's attention?


The hand mirror,
a woman's round folding compact make-up mirror with two lenses.
One that has magnifying effect,
and that you can bath in Deet and not be protected
Are great bits of knowledge shared
If you heard it from Rgld, would you listen then?
overwatch

climber
Arizona
Feb 8, 2016 - 06:24pm PT
I think Anabelle Nicholas Name hates everything, even knowledge.
Lynne Leichtfuss

Sport climber
moving thru
Feb 8, 2016 - 08:42pm PT
Another nickname, I've never said this before on ST, but you are an idiot. A few months after my husband died of lyme disease the California Department of Public Health came out with a mailer to all physicians stating that lyme was a real problem in California and they needed to learn how to treat it.

My husband was a medical professional and was basically told he was wrong there is no lyme disease in CA. Yeah........
ionlyski

Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
Feb 8, 2016 - 09:29pm PT
I take strong objection to two points and that is all.

1-Pyrethrins are not nasty, at least not in the sense of toxic chemical soup that Deet tends to be, considering that stuff melts plastic. (by the way I always wondered if deet might melt or degrade nylon climbing equipment) From Wiki-Pyrethrins are considered to be low-toxicity pesticides from a human health standpoint.

2. I never found it to work but I HAVE found Deet to be VERY effective. So pretty much the opposite of that stated above. I spray the sh#t all over me and my clothes, down my pants, you name it and it keeps the ticks off of me, even at Stone Hill, where they crawl like ants everywhere!

Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Feb 9, 2016 - 05:47am PT
I have always and still do almost bathe in Deet repellents and often use 2 different concentrations
or formulations

protecting from all the bugs that bite has become an act of self poisoning.




http://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2016/02/09/a-new-bacteria-causing-lyme-disease-discovered-borrelia-mayonii/#2b450fdd2c5d

The article is a bit of a rehash of the link in the previous post. At the bottom of the article are a bunch more links to information concerning Lyme's....



The photo I included was my first Thumb nail shot, it shows the 'bullseye' or the 'rash' when I found the tragic story that is lynne's to try to understand, I dropped the snap.

The onset of 'Lymes', seems to me, to be contrary to some things; where after first exposure there is some immunity built up.
With 'Lymes', for me, It was the opposite.
The picture shows me at 6 hours after the bite, and the onset of a very scary episode.

This was after my return to climbing after a fall and injury that was the catalyst for my getting into online stuff. I only joined the forums as a way to quell my need for climbing input, (entertainment?) as I rehabbed.

Then after nearly 2 years off from climbing, I got this bite and went into an episode of 'unexplainable' (? I knew what it was) strength loss and fatigue, with other symptoms that I attributed to the 'virus' but that the Dr's would not agree to list in their reports. The symptoms were all over the place; eye focus, digestion issues, fast dehydration, joint pain. I had head aches, something I have never be plagued with before.

I think that 'Lyme's has taken more from me, stamina wise, than age, although it is hard to tell when the tank reads half full all the time or is it half empty ....

This was after I had already had 2 rounds with Lyme's. I do live 81.7 miles from ground zero, in the state that coined the name.

It seems that this thread was timely.....
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Feb 9, 2016 - 06:04am PT
It's a non-issue not worthy of concern.

Well, You are going to get some major disagreement on that.

You can treat it but a certain percentage of people have lasting symptoms.

Growing up one of my best friends had the "super dad". Totally vibrant, athletic guy ran marathons, hiked and biked every day. Got Lyme, got treated eventually, but it was too late. It totally destroyed his nervous system and heart over the next few years and reduced him to an old man who couldn't get off the couch. Completely f'ed up his life forever.



skcreidc

Social climber
SD, CA
Feb 9, 2016 - 06:22am PT
Don't know Tom C., but he sounds like he knows what he's talking about based on my experience. Some additional info from this source http://www.lymeneteurope.org/info/deet-versus-permethrin-as-a-tick-repellent



DEET versus Permethrin as a Tick Repellent
By Tom Grier
Springtime is tick time. This means we will soon be seeing those cautionary ads on television telling us to use tick repellents. In almost every instance, the active ingredient in those advertised tick repellents will be DEET, which is the active ingredient in most mosquito repellents.

DEET is an excellent mosquito repellent, but it is a fairly poor tick repellent. We are inundated with so many DEET repellents because there are several huge corporations that manufacture hundreds of variations of DEET products. There is only one small company, Coulston Laboratory, that markets a handful of competitive tick repellent products for human use that contain 0.5 % permethrin.

There are pros and cons to each product, but as a tick repellent, permethrin wins hands down. Permethrin is an insecticide derived from a chemical found in the chrysanthemum family of plants. It is a spray that is used on clothes only, and is deactivated and made less effective by the oils on our skin. Once it is sprayed on our clothing, it becomes odorless and can last for several weeks with a single application. Once it is applied, most ticks will curl up and fall off if they make contact, and will eventually die if there is prolonged exposure.

Both DEET and permethrin have come under criticism for possible human side effects. DEET has been associated with human case histories of neurological damage and even death, and products greater than 40% were restricted in some states. Permethrin has been implicated in possibly contributing to the Gulf War syndrome. However, the studies involved mixing permethrin with DEET and applying it directly to the skin of mice that were then given military vaccines.

Pros and Cons:

DEET needs to be applied regularly and can only work as it is evaporating. Permethrin works for weeks after it has dried inside clothing fibers.
DEET is applied directly to the skin and can be absorbed through the skin. Permethrin is applied to clothing only and has limited contact to the skin.
DEET has a detectable odor. Permethrin smells only until it dries.
DEET does not kill or disable ticks and is a poor repellent. Permethrin works instantly and is extremely effective. It is the tick repellent of choice by the military.
DEET can melt synthetic clothes like nylon. Permethrin causes no damage to any known cloth or synthetic fiber.
DEET products are easy to find. Permethrin is hard to find and more expensive.
DEET is an effective fish repellent. Permethrin's effect on fish is unknown. (Permethrin is actually known to be very toxic to fish! - LNE editor)
Permethrin-containing products that are approved for human use are manufactured by Coulston labs, and can be found under labels such as Duranon, Permanone, and Congo Creek Tick Spray. A 0.5 % veterinary permethrin product can be found in most feed stores and horse supply shops as a horse tick repellent. The veterinary products tend to cost about half the price per ounce as the human-use product.

The Minnesota Insect-Borne Disease Education Council conducted a field test in Jay Cook State Park in northern Minnesota, and found that the permethrin products outperformed the DEET-containing tick repellents. A shoe was sprayed with Duranon (0.5% permethrin). Three weeks later, it was tested against a recently sprayed shoe using Deep Woods Off (35 % DEET). Ticks that made contact with the Duranon-sprayed shoe immediately rolled up and dropped off. Ticks on the soaking-wet DEET saturated shoe continued to crawl unimpaired.

One last tip for you fishermen out there: DEET is perhaps one of the most effective fish repellents known to man. Just a few parts per million can send game fish like salmon and trout to the other end of the fish tank. If you like to keep mosquito repellent in your tackle box, you may have unknowingly contaminated all of your fishing lures! Be sure to take care not to handle any fishing tackle once you have applied mosquito repellent. Just a few parts-per-million can repel more fish than mosquitoes!

To avoid ticks:

Wear light-colored clothing.
Tuck your pants into your socks.
Tuck your shirt into your pants.
Wear a hat.
Spray your shoes, socks, belt-line, collar and hat with a permethrin-containing tick repellent.
Do a tick check after walking in high-risk areas.
Put any clothes that might have live ticks on them into a hot dryer for ten minutes to kill all insects.
Keep your Family Safe! Do Tick Checks!


Additional information about DEET and Permethrin

Additional information about DEET and Permethrin is presented here, which also covers questions and comments that LymeNet Europe received from readers.
What is Permethrin?
Permethrin is a synthetic chemical, used as an insecticide, acaricide, and insect repellent. It belongs to the family of synthetic chemicals called pyrethroids.

Pyrethroids are similar to the natural pyrethrins produced by the flowers of pyrethrum (plants of the genus Chrysanthemum). Pyrethrum is also the name of a natural insecticide containing pyrethrins that is made from the dried flower heads of Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium and Chrysanthemum coccineum. The dried flower are crushed and mixed with water, and this mixture can then be used as a pyrethrum spray.

Essenstially, pyrethroid insecticides are chemically stabilized forms of the natural pyrethrins. The pyrethrins are a pair of organic compounds (pyrethrin I and pyrethrin II) that occur in the seed cases of the pyrethrum. The main source is Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium. The flowers are pulverized and the active components, the pyrethrins, are extracted and sold in the form of an oleoresin. This is applied as a suspension in water or oil, or as a powder.

Permethrin Side Effects
Permethrin is not known to rapidly harm most mammals or birds, but is dangerously toxic to cats and fish. In general, it has a low mammalian toxicity and is poorly absorbed by skin.

Toxicology and safety

Permethrin is extremely toxic to fish and aquatic life in general, so extreme care must be taken when using products containing permethrin near water sources.
Permethrin is also highly toxic to cats, and flea and tick-repellent formulas intended and labeled for (the more resistant) dogs may contain permethrin and cause feline permethrin toxicosis in cats.
Very high doses will have tangible neurotoxic effects on mammals and birds, including human beings.
Permethrin is listed as a "restricted use" substance by the United States Environmental Protection Agency due to its high toxicity to aquatic organisms.



Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Feb 9, 2016 - 07:36am PT
You mean like the lunatics at the CDC? You against vaccines, too?
fear

Ice climber
hartford, ct
Feb 9, 2016 - 08:02am PT
I've lost count of the crippled people around here from the many different strains of Borrelia. To complicate matters are the frequent co-infections that we also have probably failed to fully account for.

One problem is there is no good test for the hundreds of known strains of just the Borrelia bug itself. The current common tests in the US are based on a single strain.

It's a huge political thing now in the medical community which is why the CDC/ISA are focusing on the Kindergarten form of Lyme which they claim can be killed with a simple course of antibiotics.

Having seen actual spirochetes swimming in the blood of someone close to me who's been on IV Rocephin for over a YEAR, there's a lot more to these bugs than we currently understand. It's an old bug that's evolved a lot of defenses.

More doctors are sticking their necks out now though into the political fire which is a good thing. There is more and more research onto this extremely tough bug and it's many co-infections.

But make no mistake, real people are suffering immeasurably every day from this thing.



Brandon-

climber
The Granite State.
Feb 9, 2016 - 08:13am PT
Lyme is a very real threat where I live. Roughly half the people I know have had it at one time or another, and a great number of them have terrible lasting effects from it.
Capt.

climber
some eastside hovel
Feb 9, 2016 - 08:17am PT
Another nickname--I've seen the effects of Lyme disease on someone and it was not pretty. Love yer idea that it's harmless, but it's not correct.
fear

Ice climber
hartford, ct
Feb 9, 2016 - 08:38am PT
You cut and paste very well!
labrat

Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
Feb 9, 2016 - 10:02am PT
Anybody read this one? I enjoyed it quite a bit as it covers the park at the end of my street. I'm thinking it will be a big year for ticks.

Nature Noir: A Park Ranger's Patrol in the Sierra
by Jordan Fisher Smith
http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Noir-Rangers-Patrol-Sierra/dp/0618711953

It has some interesting things to say about Lyme Disease in the last chapter.

The author has been suffering from the disease for quite some time.
http://www.jordanfishersmith.com/

Movie about Lyme that I have not seen and it appears controversial...
Under Our Skin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Our_Skin
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Feb 9, 2016 - 10:07am PT
The movie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Our_Skin
Messages 1 - 20 of total 50 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Return to Forum List
 
Our Guidebooks
spacerCheck 'em out!
SuperTopo Guidebooks

guidebook icon
Try a free sample topo!

 
SuperTopo on the Web

Recent Route Beta