What is an arbovirus?
An arbovirus is a virus that is transmitted to humans from animals through bites of infected ticks or mosquitoes (arthropods).
What do Ticks do?
Ticks are known to feed off blood of humans, other mammals, reptiles and birds.
What kind of ticks live in Massachusetts?
The most common ticks that are seen in Massachusetts are the black-legged deer tick and dog ticks. Less common are the lone star tick, and asian longhorned tick.
What disease does the black-legged tick cause?
The black-legged tick unfortunately can cause several different types of tick-borne diseases:
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- Lyme Disease-Bacteria
- Babesiosis-microscopic parasite that infects red blood cells
- Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, HGA-Bacteria attacks certain white blood cells
- Powassan Virus-Virus
- Borrelia Miyamotoi-Bacteria
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What tick-borne disease does a Dog Tick Cause?
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- Dog ticks are known to cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever-which is a Bacteria (Rickettsia rickettsii)
- Tularemia-Bacteria
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What tick-borne disease does a Lone Star Tick cause?
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- Tularemia
- Ehrlichiosis
- Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI)
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The Lone Star tick can cause an allergy to red meat called Alpha-gal Syndrome. This reaction from the bite of the Lone Star causes an allergic reaction that is either mild to severe to red meat, beef, pork or lamb, sometimes dairy products and gelatins.
Less common, the Asian longhorned tick has been found in Massachusetts. This tick can cause ehrlichiosis, which can cause fever, chills, muscle aches, and headaches, in severe cases of disease, it can cause brain and nervous damage. It’s also possible that it could cause thrombocytopenia syndrome virus. Prompt treatment is important to prevent further disease progression. This tick more commonly causes disease in livestock but can affect humans, as well.
In one bite, these ticks can cause multiple infections
Symptoms to look out for
- Lyme Disease-symptoms can occur from 3-30 days after the bite. A“bullseye rash” may occur, but not always, common symptoms are flu-like: fever headache, fatigue, joint and muscle aches, stiff neck. Prompt treatment is best to prevent further damage. If left untreated can cause worsening illness like nervous system issues, heart, and arthritic problems.
- Babesiosis symptoms also have flu-like illness, headache, fever, chills, joint and muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and dark urine. Symptoms can occur from 1-8 weeks after the bite. If left untreated it can be life-threatening, kidney dialysis & blood transfusions.
- Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (HGA) can occur 7-14 days after the bite. Symptoms again very similar to flu-like illness, fatigue, muscle aches, chills, fever headache, may have abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, or cough. Prompt treatment is important to prevent further complications of this disease.
- Powassan Virus can take from 1 week up to a month to develop symptoms. Symptoms of this virus is more serious and can cause meningitis, or encephalitis, fever, headache, vomiting, weak, confusion, and can lead to seizures. No treatment for this virus, just supportive measures.
Less common diseases
- Borrelia Miyamotoi, fever, or chills, muscle aches, & headache,
- Tularemia, can cause skin sore or swollen glands if you touched something that was contaminated with the germ or if drinking or eating contaminated food/drink it can cause diarrhea, vomiting, intestinal pain or worsening symptoms.
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, sudden onset of fever and severe headache, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting, rash on palms, soles and body.
To prevent worsening symptoms, seek medical attention as soon as possible to receive immediate and proper treatment. Not everyone notices a tick on them, as they are very small, the size referred to as a poppy seed, so it might be difficult to associate these symptoms with a tick-borne disease, sometimes a tick bites and falls off and you might not ever know a tick was even on you.
What is the most common treatment for tick-borne diseases?
The most common type of treatment is Doxycycline, which is the antibiotic of choice by most physicians. This medication is prescribed usually for 10-14 days twice daily, but every physician determines the length of time based on the individuals condition. Other antibiotics are used for different types of tick-borne diseases.
Is it possible to get a tick-borne disease other than in the Spring and Summer months?
Yes, you can get a tick-borne disease all year round, even in the winter months, as long as it’s above freezing.
How can I protect myself against tick-borne diseases?
- Use insect repellent with DEET or permethrin
- Wear light colored long sleeves, long pants, and socks to go over the pant legs, so you can easily spot them.
- If outside in the yard gardening, or walking in the woods, make sure to do a daily tick check on yourself and children, and of course pets too!
- Remember these ticks are tricky to spot, because they are as tiny as a freckle, so be extra vigilant when you come indoors. Make sure to check areas like your armpits, groin, neck, hairline, and behind the ears.
Whats the best way to remove ticks?
Pull the tick straight out using a pair of tweezers, grasp close to the skin, and pull out.
Westford Health Department has some TickReport cards. This card has information on how to get your tick tested to identify the tick species, & presence of tick-borne disease. This does not diagnosis the person, but identifies whether the tick has the presence of disease. If the tick has been found to have a particular disease, you can notify your physician, and he/she can choose to treat the individual with antibiotics, if needed. www.TickReport.com
What is the most common Mosquito-borne Disease in Massachusetts?
The most common Mosquito-borne Disease in Massachusetts are West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE or Triple E).
- Symptoms of WNV are mild fever to more severe disease like encephalitis or meningitis. The more severe symptoms are stiff neck, headaches, fever, disorientation, muscle weakness, to coma, to name a few. It’s a virus, no specific treatment, just supportive care, takes about 2-14 days after a bite to develop symptoms.
- Symptoms of EEE can cause fevers or neurologic disease, encephalitis, or meningitis. You can develop symptoms from 4-10 days after the bite of a mosquito. It’s a virus, no specific treatment, just supportive care.
How do you protect yourself against mosquito borne diseases?
Similar to tick protection, wear long sleeve shirts, and long pants, apply mosquito repellent with DEET, limit outdoor activity from dusk to dawn. Community control may require spraying affected areas. Remove any standing water in your yard, because that’s where the female lay their eggs, so be aware of puddles, rain barrels, tires, bird baths, and anything that collects water. Repair any holes in your screens, keep swimming pools clean and properly chlorinated. Frequently change the water in birdbaths.
How do I find out current data on arbovirus in Massachusetts?
Data on arboviruses in Massachusetts is located on the mass.gov website https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-arbovirus-update
For more information on mosquito viruses and spraying; see Central Mass Mosquito Control Project at https://www.cmmcp.org/
