Tick season is here

This is shaping up to be a busy year for ticks.  Here is some information provided by the health department and NCESD as well as information on proper tick removal from kidshealth.org.    

STOP TICKS!

http://www.cdc.gov/features/stopticks/

 

I strongly suggest people put the tick in alcohol if it has bitten them. That way if they develop a febrile illness the tick can be identified. Tick-borne diseases are unique to certain ticks (please see below). Please recall that it takes 24-36 hours for a tick to begin to transmit any tick-borne disease.

Therefore prompt tick removal is extremely important.

 

These photos may help people identify ticks. Ixodes pacificus is the only tick that transmits Lyme disease on the West Coast. Please note that Borrelia burgdorferi, the bug that causes Lyme disease, has only been detected on the West Side in Clallam, Mason and Klickitat counties. There are a few more details at the bottom of this email.  http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Pests/Ticks/TickPhotoGallery

 

 

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/333-179.pdf Tick submission form. Please note you will be told the tick species, but NOT whether it is infected with any disease.

FIRST AID:  Tick Bites

While most tick bites are harmless and don't require medical treatment, some ticks (like the deer tick, wood tick, and others) can carry harmful germs and cause diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. The deer tick is tiny, no larger than a pencil point. Other ticks are larger and easier to find on the skin.

Signs and Symptoms

Of Tick-Related Diseases:

·         a red bump ringed by an expanding red rash, which looks like a bull's-eye (Lyme disease)

·         red dots on the ankles and wrists (Rocky Mountain spotted fever)

·         flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, vomiting, and muscle and joint aches

What to Do

If the tick is still attached to the skin, follow these steps:

1.    Use tweezers to grasp the tick firmly at its head or mouth, next to the skin.

2.    Pull firmly and steadily until the tick lets go of the skin. Do not twist the tick or rock it from side to side. If part of the tick stays in the skin, don't worry. It will eventually come out on its own.

3.    Release the tick into a jar or zip-locked bag in case you want to have it identified later on.

4.    Wash your hands and the site of the bite with soap and water.

5.    Swab the bite site with alcohol.

Never use petroleum jelly or a hot match to kill and remove a tick. These methods don't get the tick off the skin, and can cause the insect to burrow deeper and release more saliva (which increases the chances of disease transmission).

Seek Medical Care If:

·         The tick might have been on the skin for more than 24 hours.

·         Part of the tick remains in the skin after attempted removal.

·         A rash of any kind develops (especially a red-ringed bull's-eye rash or red dots on wrists and ankles).

·         The bite area looks infected (increasing warmth, swelling, pain, or oozing pus).

·         Symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck or back, or muscle or joint aches develop.

Think Prevention!

·         After kids play outside, check their skin and hair — especially the scalp, behind the ears, around the neck, and under the arms.

·         When playing in wooded areas, kids should wear long-sleeved shirts and pants and tuck pant legs into their socks.

·         Use an insect repellant with at least 10% to 30% DEET for protection against bites and stings in kids older than 2 years, always carefully following the directions for application.

·         Avoid tick-infested areas.

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: April 2014

http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/sheets/tick_bites_sheet.html

Measles information

For those of you following the news, you're probably aware of the recent outbreaks of the measles.  Because we are part of the public school systems, students are required to either have proof of vaccination or an exemption form in place that allows them to attend school without the vaccination.  Here is some basic information provided in the Infectious Disease Control Guide which is put out by OSPI.  This is the information and guidelines I follow as the school nurse. Hopefully it will be informative and helpful to you.  

Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that can lead to serious complications. These complications include ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia, encephalitis and even death.  A single case of measles is considered a public health emergency.  

Measles begin with cold-like symptoms:  cough, runny nose, red itchy watery eyes and a high fever.  Two to four days after symptoms begin, a raised red rash will appear on the head and spread downward to become a full body rash, usually lasting 5-6 days.  People with measles appear quite ill.  

Measles is spread by airborne droplets or by nasal and throat secretions of an infected person.  The average time from exposure to beginning of the rash is 14 days.  Measles is infectious from one day before the beginning of respiratory symptoms to about 4 days after the appearance of the rash.  

If a student or staff member in the school develops a confirmed case of measles, the local health officer may require students who have not received two doses of the MMR vaccine to be excluded from school for 21 days after the last exposure, regardless of vaccine doses received after exposure. 

Please talk to your students/children about the importance of not sharing items that may be contaminated with saliva.  Dispose of or clean items that may be soiled with nose and throat discharge.  Cover your sneeze or cough with the crook of your arm, and encourage proper hand washing.  

Measles can be controlled and eventually eliminated if children are vaccinated fully and on time.  

Please feel free to contact me if you  have any questions or concerns.  If your child is diagnosed with measles, please contact the school as soon as possible.  

Thank you,

Amber Varrelman,  RN

District Nurse

509-782-2001