Ticks bites spread in Flathead

Flathead City-County Health Department officials warned again Friday that ticks pose an earlier than usual threat of disease in the Flathead.

The department has received calls from several people bitten by ticks this week. Normally, people pick up ticks in brush-covered areas on south-facing slopes where deer winter.

Health officials advise the people to check themselves and their children after outdoor activities. About one-quarter inch long, all ticks are reddish brown while females have a silver-gray shield on the front, one-third of their backs.

The parasites often attach in ears, body folds or near the hairline. After attaching, ticks may enlarge to the size of a grape as they suck blood.

In a press release, the health department provided the following instructions for removing a tick:

. Disinfect the site prior to tick removal.

. Grasp the tick as close as possible to the skin.

. Pull upward with a steady, even pressure. Do not twist or jerk as this may break off mouth parts in the skin.

. Take care not to squeeze or crush the tick's body as its fluids hold infectious agents.

. After extracting the tick, disinfect the site, apply a sterile bandage and wash your hands with soap and water.

Unlike last spring, health officials are not collecting live ticks from bite victims. However, State Epidemiologist Todd Damrow said the study of a suspected, new tick-borne illness in Montana continues.

"We're still doing it but we have switched our focus from ticks to people," he said.

For two years, state officials collected tick samples after reports of a few, unexplained illnesses associated with Montana tick bites.

Most cases appeared in the Yellowstone River drainage but illnesses as close as Missoula also surfaced. Described as Lyme-like, the unidentified disease produces a bull's-eye rash, fever, body aches and lingering exhaustion.

Victims seeking medical attention tested negative for Lyme disease, which prompted the research project. According to Damrow, researchers found clues from the ticks collected in that effort.

"They have found some molecular DNA in the ticks," he said.

Damrow explained that the pathogen identified was not previously associated with humans. This discovery triggered the shift from focusing on ticks.

"We're interested in people with rashes after a tick bite," he said.

He said a rash may appear between one and 10 days following a tick bite. People who develop rashes should go to their health-care providers for evaluation to rule out other causes.

Damrow points out that allergic reactions and other conditions also produce rashes. If the rash and other symptoms follow the mystery illness pattern, physicians will work with the county health department staff to collect specimens.

The state epidemiologist said researchers don't know whether, if untreated, the suspected disease causes serious, long-term medical consequences such as the neurological disorders of Lyme disease.

"We found invariably these subjects are placed on antibiotics," he said.

Because of this, medical researchers don't know if the victims would get well on their own. Damrow couldn't say when the research may yield answers to the tick disease mystery.

"It's hard to predict how science unfolds," he said. "Sometimes you get a lucky break."

The good news, Damrow said, is that antibiotics seem to cure afflicted patients.

Antibiotics also treat other tick-borne illnesses such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Public Health Nurse Elaine Sedlack called the disease uncommon.

"But it can be deadly," Sedlack said.

Without treatment, 15 percent to 20 percent of infected people will die from the disease.

Flathead County had one case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever last year. Disease indications include fever, fatigue, deep muscle pain, severe headaches, chills and sometimes a rash on the arms and legs.

In order to transmit this disease, a tick must attach for four to six hours or more. Symptoms emerge in three to 14 days following the bite.

Another tick-borne disease, tick paralysis, begins four to six days after a bite. Paralysis signs begin in the hands and feet then progress to loss of coordination in the arms and legs.

Sedlack reminded the public that tick-borne relapsing fever was contracted in recent years on Wild Horse Island. She said a soft-shelled tick transmits the disease, which causes recurring fever, vomiting and muscle, joint and abdominal pain.

Health department officials recommend avoiding tick-infested areas if possible. In these areas, people should wear long-sleeved shirts with tight cuffs tucked into pants that they should tuck into boots or socks.

Light colors make ticks easier to spot on clothing.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com