5 Ways Ticks Can Make You Sick

Tick season typically occurs in the spring and summer seasons in other countries. But for us here in Singapore, it is an all-year event. With warm weather, bugs get a little excited to play—carrying nasty diseases with them. What are these diseases? Let’s all find out.

  1. Lyme Disease

This is a tick-borne disease caused by strains of Borrelia bacteria and the most common illness carried by black-legged ticks. Remember: these ticks thrive in deciduous forests, though populations are now spreading to more urbanized areas. Symptoms often include fever accompanied by nausea and joint and muscle pain.

  • Babesiosis

Also brought by black-legged ticks, this disease is caused by the parasite Babesia microti. The said parasite infects the body’s red blood cells, causing chills, headache, fever and fatigue. More complex cases can lead to anemia, jaundice and shortness of breath. How big is the tick that causes Babesiosis? A young tick is likened to the size of a poppyseed, an adult male tick is equivalent to the size of a sesame seed and a female tick can measure up to a flaxseed. After they fed with blood, they get even bigger.

  • Powassan

This illness is caused by tick-borne virus is extremely rare. Some people infected by such disease do not show any symptom at all, while others experience vomiting, fever, headache or even meningitis and brain inflammation.

  • Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis

This illness is caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which is spread by ticks. It also attacks the white blood cells, which can eventually lead to chills, fever, headache and muscle pains.

  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

This illness is one of the several illnesses caused by spotted fever group rickettsia, which is a type of bacteria. Most people who are infected with such disease experience rashes, headache and fever. If left untreated, the symptoms can be more severe and fatal for the infected person.

Where are ticks usually found?

Ticks usually live outdoors and hide in grasses, shrubs and trees. if you are going for a hike or whether just play outside, it’s possible to pick up a tick. Also, tick can latch themselves to your pet and stay attached to them for a long time, or migrate to you when you get in contact with your pet.

How to treat tick bites?

The easiest and the most important thing to do when you spot a tick on you is to remove it. you can do so by using a set of tweezers. Try not to twist or bend the tick as you remove it, and check closely the bite site if you left the tick’s head or its mouth parts. If so, make sure to remove it. Clean the spot with soap and water. If you experience any symptoms mentioned above after the bite, have yourself checked by a doctor.

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