Smoke Signals July . 1989 . . . Page 10
TINY TICKS PUT OREGON IN DANGER
It's so small that you might not even see it, but it can mean
big trouble.
The culprit is Ixodes, a family of deer ticks that can
transmit Lyme disease to both humans and animals. Al
though the disease is rarely fatal, left untreated it can be a
road to agony.
Medical doctors and veterinarians have issued warnings
about the disease, which struck more than 5,000 people last
year.
"We do have cases in Oregon," Polk County veterinarian
Ron Macedo said. "But it's nowhere close to an epidemic."
But there is cause for alarm, both for people and their
pets. In fact, researchers have found that dogs are six times
more likely to get Lyme disease than their owners.
The alarm is sounding because 43 states have reported
cases of Lyme disease, and Oregon is one of them. The
situation is regarded as critical by some accounts, and
serious by others. No one is ignoring the threat.
"The problem is that it's a relatively new disease, or it was
there and we didn't know what we were looking at,"
Macedo said.
It was not identified as Lyme disease until 1975 when a
group of people near Lyme, Conn., contracted it.
Research has found that an organism inside the tick -spirochete
- is the cause of the disease.
Animals and people have basically the same symptoms. In
most cases, early symptoms include a round or oval rash.
While easily seen on a person, it can go undetected under
a dog's thick hair, and some dogs don't even develop it. The
rash can be several inches in diameter.
With the rash can come other symptoms, such as fever,
fatigue, headaches, a stiff neck and muscle joint pains.
One of the problems, Macedo said, is that the symptoms
mimic influenza.
"It's an arthritic type of thing, he said. " The signs are
suggestive of arthritis, but it's not quite the same. The key
is to pick it up early and not be thinking it's something else."
When .the illness strikes an older dog, the owner might
think it's just the effects of time. But Macedo suggests that
the animal be checked.
" There will be pain in the joints, difficulty walking, high
fever," Macedo said. ,
As the disease progresses, some patients will suffer
meningitis, paralysis of the facial muscles and other neuro
logical problems.
Late stages of the disease can produce heart damage,
intense arthritis and even brain damage. Some of the
effects are irreversible.
"In dogs, it will be lameness, extreme pain, anorexia,
fever, fatigue and enlarged lymph nodes," Macedo said.
Unfortunately, the tick and the disease come with the
territory that pulls people outdoors. Woods, brush and
grassy areas are the habitat of the tick.
"Oregon is a beautiful place to grow things - plants and
bugs," Macedo said. " And we do have the ticks, generally
throughout the state."
The treatment for Lyme disease is antibiotics. Blood
tests, while not particularly effective in the early stages of
the disease, will show positive in the later stages.
But the real key, Macedo said, is protection.
In humans, that remains wearing proper clothing when
you venture into the forests and grassy areas where the
ticks live. Don't go barefoot or where sandals. Wear long
sleeved shirts and long pants, and pull your socks over your
pant legs so ticks cannot attach themselves to exposed skin.
Commercial insect repellents - those that contain the
chemical DEET can help as well.
If you are in areas where there might be ticks, shower
afterward and check yourself for ticks. If you do have one
on you, carefully remove it with tweezers.
The ticks, Macedo said, are about the size of the small
letter "a" on a typewriter.
Dogs should be checked also, but Macedo said it would be
next to impossible to find the tiny tick on a hairy dog. "Use
flea and tick controls powders, dips, sprays," he said.
Macedo does not recommend testing animals unless
there is reason to believe the disease is present.
i
By Tom Forstrom - The Statesman Journal
Community Health Nurse, Carol Terp, would also like
you to:
Forget about all those home remedies for tick removal:
gasoline, petroleum jelly, kerosene, iodine, or a hot
match. These have not been shown to be very effective,
and may actually increase your chance of becoming
infected by the tick.
The best method of decreasing the fear of Lyme disease
is to have the tick you remove identified by specie. Save
the tick in a small container or jar labeled with the date,
the body location of the bite, and where you think the
tick came from. Tape the cap and send the padded
container through the mail to: Gary Parsons, Extension
Entomology, 2046 Cordley Hall, Oregon State Univer
sity, Corvallis, OR. 97331-2902.
Whether you're playing or working in the woods, take j
precautions to protect yourself from ticks:
1. Cover your body as much as possible. Wear long
pants and a long-sleeved shirt with buttoned cuffs. Tuck
the shirt into your pants and your pants into your socks,
shoes, or boots. A hat may help too, since ticks like to '
settle on the scalp.
2. In overgrown, brushy areas, try to stay near the
center of the trail.
3. Check your children and pets after they have been
outdoors. Remove ticks from them as you would from
yourself.
One of the best ways to ward off ticks is to use an insect
repellent containing Deet (short for N,N-dieth-yltoluamide)
sprayed on your shirt, pants, socks, shoes
or boots. Apply repellents sparingly, if at all, to your
skin. They're safer, more effective, and longer lasting
when used on clothing. Be especially careful with
infants and children; don't spray them repeatedly over
long periods, and don't use excessive amounts.
AIDS PREVENTION
EFFORT UNDERWAY IN
INDIAN COUNTRY
The National Native American AIDS Prevention
Center headquartered in Oakland, Calif., has begun
efforts to educate Native Americans in how to prevent
AIDS in their communities. Ruth Denny who has been
named project coordinator for the National Indian
AIDS Media Consortium said the new consortium will
establish and maintain a network of Indian reporters to
disseminate accurate information on AIDS and to help
design a national Native American AIDS prevention
campaign. "We are now more than five years into the
AIDS epidemic among American Indians, and many
Indian communities have felt the devastating effects of
AIDS. Because of the high drug and alcohol usage
among Indian people, we are at a high risk for sexually
transmitted diseases such as AIDS," Denny said.
She said Indian people could prevent the disease and
the first step is to "educate ourselves, our children and
our communities before AIDS devastates our people.
The consortium will prepare press packets monthly that
will consist of the latest AIDS data, statistics and Indian
specifics AIDS material and will be sent to consortium
members at no cost. Further information can be
obtained from Ruth Denny at 1530 East Franklin
Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404, (612) 871-0624.
i--w.;.." v.;
:SJS?S!v.
h
Stan Kneeland recently competed in the Cascade Run-Off
in Portland where he posted a time of 57:07 and finished in
398th place out of 7,500 competitors. Stan recently agreed
to act as the official host of the Tribes' 2nd annual Spirit
Mountain Fun RunWalk for Health on August 19th, 1989.
KNEELAND PLAYS HOST FOR RUN
Tribal member Stan Kneeland of Warm Springs, Oregon
recently competed in the Annual Cascade Run-Off on
Sunday, June 18th in Portland, Oregon. Kneeland, who
also recently competed in the Boston Marathon, ran the 15
Kilometer race (9.4 miles) in a time of 57.07. "I felt really
good about my time because it was the first time that I had
been clocked at that distance," said Kneeland.
Kneeland was one of 7,500 competetors in the race which
was suject to a hard rain throughout the day. "I didn't push
myself as hard as I could of because of the weather
conditions on the course," explained Kneeland. "I tried to
save my energy for the kick at the end of the race."
The race was won by 21 year old Alejandro Cruz of
Mexico in a time of 42.38. Kneeland finished 14 minutes
and 29 seconds later in 398the place. Tribal mcmerbs in
GrandRondc are proud ofStan'saccomplishmentsandare
pleased that he has accepted our invitation to host the
Tribes' 2nd Annual Spirit Mountain Fun RunWalk on
August 19th, 1988.