By David Leining, Sr.
I parked my jeep 300 yards from my stand and made the walk to my stand for some late evening hog hunting. As I settled into my stand with windows open waiting for the sun to go down I felt something running down my neck. What I thought was sweat from the walk turned out to be a tick. Although it is not unusual to come in contact with ticks, fleas and chiggers while in the long grass it helps to protect yourself from the disease carrying insects.
Lyme Disease is spread by the bite of a deer tick. Lyme disease has become the leading tick-borne illness in the U.S. The tick normally feeds on the white-footed mouse, white-tailed deer, other mammals and birds, and is responsible for transmitting Lyme disease to humans. Lyme disease most often presents a characteristic bulls-eye rash, erythema migrans, accompanied by nonspecific symptoms such as fever, malaise, fatigue, headache, muscle aches and joint aches.
Ticks can attach to any part of the human body but often attach to the more hidden and hairy areas such as the groin, armpits and scalp. When in a tick infested area a good prevention is an insect repellent. Consider using a product to be applied to clothing rather than your skin. An insect repellent with DEET and or permethrin can be used. Follow the instructions of these and other repellents. Avoid contact with wild animals and birds and stay to the center of hiking paths and avoid grassy and marshy woodland areas.
Fleas are of medical importance because they produce irritating bites and transmit serious diseases. The fleas, which attack man, live chiefly on cats, dogs and rodents. When man is in close association with these animals, conditions are ideal for the occurrence of flea-borne diseases.
Rodent fleas are responsible for the transmission of bubonic plague and endemic (murine) typhus. An infected person may experience high fever, chills, cough and breathing difficulty and may expel bloody sputum.
Chiggers are found in low damp places covered with vegetation such as tall grass and weeds. The larva of chiggers attach themselves to the body by sticking their mouth into the hair follicle. They inject enzymes and feed upon human cells. After a few hours there will be extreme itching and small red welts start to appear. To remove the chiggers lather several times with soap.
Brown Recluse Spiders are light yellow to a dark brown body. They are oval shaped, have eight legs, and have a distinctive fiddle shaped mark on its back. The Recluse spider lives in dark places, trash piles, attics, closets and dresser drawers just to name a few they can hide. The sting is almost painless. In 2 to 8 hours pain will occur followed by blisters, swelling or ulceration. In some cases rash, nausea, jaundice, chills, fever, cramps or joint pain. If quick medical attention is not taken weak adults or children have been known to die.
More information on insects and reptiles can be found in the “Camping and Wilderness Survival” handbook by Paul Tawrell. If you feel you have come in contact with any of the above mentioned insects, contact your physician for treatment.
