Malaria-like illness caused by ticks discovered in mid-Atlantic states and Washington DC

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OldStretch84@reddit

I'm finding ticks even after dousing myself in permethrin and DEET and wearing permethrin-laced clothing. I STG I'm starting to think these little shits are building up a resistance to even that.

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RabidPyranha@reddit (OP)

check to see if the permethrin had expired., or was stored improperly. it has a shorter shelf life than deet, likely due to it being an actual insecticide. permethrin resistance iis nightmare fuel

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This is incredibly valuable advice! I rarely go camping, and store my equipment sometimes for years in less than optimal conditions as well as camp in less than optimal conditions, with no thought to the fact that my bug drops might degrade over time! THANK YOU!

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RabidPyranha@reddit (OP)

:)

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OldStretch84@reddit

I work with pesticides professionally. It's good.

And yes, it's nightmare fuel.

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Thoth-long-bill@reddit

Are you pulling socks over pants legs?

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OldStretch84@reddit

Yes.

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Bortman94@reddit

I’ve actually tested positive for this last summer. I was sick as a dog for days and thought it was just a bad cold. Ended up having 102 fever that didn’t go away, had zero appetite, incredibly dark urine, urgent care did nothing. Thought it was Covid. After a week of being so ill I went to the ER. Luckily up here in CT they saw my symptoms and immediately tested 12 vials of my blood and confirmed it was babesiosis. Funny it used to be called Nantucket Fever in the 1960s and people eventually just stopped testing for it.

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Bortman94@reddit

What’s even scarier is that the symptoms are exactly like malaria. I couldn’t break my fever. Had chills for days and cold sweats so bad I thought I pissed the bed. It’s life threatening in older adults and causes you to literally not want to eat. I think I lost like 5 lbs in a few days.

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dyslexic-alien@reddit

I think I’ve seen more new illness and virus in the last 5 years than in the last 3 decades. What a time to be alive!

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Bortman94@reddit

This isn’t new. It’s been around for decades just no one was testing for it. Used to be called Nantucket fever

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DigitalWarHorse2050@reddit

Or perhaps what a time to experience new forms of deadly infections and basically get to play biological Russian roulette. What a time to die in more painful ways

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JMurdock77@reddit

So how do we go about exterminating ticks?

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RiPPeR69420@reddit

Free range chickens do a pretty good job of keeping them out of your yard. Assuming they don't catch bird flu

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CosmiConcious@reddit

You want Guinea Hens specifically if it’s for ticks.

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TimeKeeper575@reddit

Just wait until you read about screw worms, on their way back to you.

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paddenice@reddit

Didn’t the government just cancel son program designed to keep them from migrating north? People aren’t allowed, but bring the screw worms I guess

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Okaythenwell@reddit

It did

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JMurdock77@reddit

Great, so that’s been derailed?

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Okaythenwell@reddit

Yep

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OatmealAvocado@reddit

Also, somewhat misleading…. b. Microti is one of the pathogens to cause babesiosis in humans, but not the only one. Often human testing focuses on Microti only, leading to false negatives.

If the symptoms, lifestyle, history of tick attachments, and especially presence of other tick-borne diseases suggest babesia as a possibility, don’t take no for an answer until all have been appropriately screened.

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socialmedia-username@reddit

I find a tick attached somewhere on my waistline at least 1-2 times a week in the summer. Been like that for the last 20 or so years, and I just consider it part of summer in the mid Atlantic if you go outside at all. Never had a tick born disease as far as I know, though I have thrice found that black necrotic-like tissue at the site of the bite and it's itchier than normal. What do you mean by lifestyle?

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OldStretch84@reddit

I literally got Lyme 2 years ago immediately from my first set down tick in over 20 years. You're playing with fire.

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Miss_Molly1210@reddit

I got Lyme and never even knew I had a tick bite. Doctor thinks it was likely in my scalp (which I find plausible bc I’ve found so many in my kids heads). I’m extra vigilant now.

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RockSalt992@reddit

Sad experience. Happy cake day.

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SurpriseIsopod@reddit

People like you make me so mad (I am extremely envious). Grew up in the Southwest so never experienced ticks.

Lived in Maryland and found my first ever tick on me. Instantly got Lyme disease from my single encounter lmao. Still no luck winning the lottery

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OatmealAvocado@reddit

By lifestyle I mean someone that regularly spends time outdoors in tick-heavy habitats…not the only way to get bitten of course, but a higher chance.

Glad that you’ve so far been spared, but I would seriously consider some mitigation strategies with that frequency.

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RabidPyranha@reddit (OP)

not really, if were new it would have the word "new" or ":novel" in the title.

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AwayPresentation5704@reddit

Haha! I enjoy living in this wonderful time!

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herbiusderbius@reddit

it's going to happen slowly and then all at once