| By :
Stewart Wrighter
If anyone who has ever been camping is asked what they are most scared of, the answer will probably be that they do not want to get bitten by anything. Those in the camping fraternity know that of all the things which can go wrong when out in the wilds, having a tick bite which goes unnoticed is probably one of the worst things that can happen. The camper comes home blissfully unaware that anything is wrong until sometime later they come down with flu like symptoms which knocks them out for a few days. However, whenever this happens, it is a good idea to get some medical advice because it just may be a tick bite which has caused all the problems. Indeed, during the seventies, it was thought that there was a terrible outbreak of childhood arthritis. No one could understand why kids in one particular area all came down with this seemingly unrelated disease, but when it was investigated, it was found to be the humble tick which had sparked the problem. Lyme disease, named this because this is where the originating disease sprung from, is a rather debilitating disease and makes everyone feel very rough indeed. Anyone who has been bitten could display a bulls-eye shaped rash somewhere on their body which then develops into the disease itself. After this, the afflicted person can show all kinds of symptoms, flu like notwithstanding, and also have heart palpitations too. Facial paralysis is also another symptom and by this time, doctors are normally scratching their heads because the bite may not even be visible. Since about fourteen thousand cases are reported every year in the States, it is estimated that ten times that number actually get the disease which clears up with no medical intervention. However, for those unlucky enough to get Lyme disease, a hospital visit is inevitable. Very often, when people are bitten, they will pull off the tick leaving the front mandibles inside the wound. This now turns into something infectious and in severe cases the affected person could well suffer from blood poisoning. Anyone who sees a tick on the body should just take some extra precautions when getting it out. By holding the jaw area of the tick with tweezers, they can usually back the insect out without doing too much damage. Once out, they should treat the wound as any other and clean it up with disinfectant or the like. Of course, prevention is always better than cure and anyone who is out in the wilds should cover up properly to stop these little munching machines getting a grip on anyone including the family pet. Repellants are available to be put on exposed skin and the best way to make sure there are no infected bites is for people to inspect each other after the trip. Any small marks have to be investigated, and health kept a close watch on for a couple of weeks after the trip, to ensure that the affected person gets all the help they need should they come down with something.
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