Alert: Experts Claim New Tick-Borne Illness Is Deadlier Than Lyme Disease
By Mike-Ross
If you’re an outdoors person, or if you have children who spend their summers riding bikes, fishing and camping, you will want to be aware of a newly discovered disease that, according to St. Louis’ KSDK-TV, doctors across the country are talking about.
It’s called the Powassan virus, and it’s carried by the same tick that carries Lyme disease.
However, the Powassan virus is more lethal than Lyme because it causes meningitis and swelling of the brain. Unfortunately there is no cure yet.
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Symptoms include a high fever, vomiting and weakness.
Cases have been seen in the northeast and the Great Lakes. So far no cases have been reported in the South, but doctors admit they haven’t been testing for it.
Ticks are small and difficult to see, therefore it’s hard to exterminate them, particularly considering concerns about the effects of chemical pesticides on the environment.
This virus is spread by deer ticks when they embed themselves in human skin. Because of the mild winter, the CDC expects more cases this year because more deer and mice survived the season. Both are carriers of ticks.
There are nearly 300,000 Lyme disease cases each year, and doctors warn this year may be the worst. They want people to take precautionary measures:
Wear insect repellent, particularly a brand that has the chemical picaridin in it. Wear long sleeves and pants Avoid areas entirely that have heavy brush or long, unkempt grass – that’s where you’re most likely to get bit.
So if you have plans to spend time outdoors this summer, especially in places where cases of the Powassan virus has already been reported, please take these precautions.
Share this story on Twitter and Facebook to help spread the word about this newly discovered, potentially lethal arachnid-borne disease!
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