Steps can be taken to reduce the risk for babesiosis and other tickborne infections. The use of prevention measures is especially important for people at increased risk for severe babesiosis (for example, people who do not have a spleen). Avoiding exposure to tick habitats is the best defense.

Babesia microti is spread by Ixodes scapularis ticks, which are most apt to be found in wooded, brushy, or grassy areas, in certain regions and seasons. No vaccine is available to protect people against babesiosis. However, people who live, work, or travel in tick-infested areas can take simple steps to help protect themselves against tick bites and tickborne infections.

During outdoor activities in tick habitats, take precautions to keep ticks off the skin.

• Walk on cleared trails and stay in the center of the trail, to minimize contact with leaf litter, brush, and overgrown grasses, where ticks are most apt to be found.
• Minimize the amount of exposed skin, by wearing socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck the pant legs into the socks, so ticks cannot crawl up the inside of the pants. Wear light-colored clothing, to make it easier to see and remove ticks before they attach to skin.
• Apply repellents to skin and clothing. Follow the instructions on the product label.

What is Geraniol?
Geraniol, the active ingredient in Repello insect repelling products, is a natural essential oil derived from geraniums. When Geraniol is exclusively formulated with other minimum risk or food-grade ingredients, the resulting insect repellent products are not regulated pesticides when they meet federally established criteria. Geraniol is a biodegradable ingredient that is safe to use and safe for the environment. There is no known toxicity to animals or wildlife.

How does Geraniol Repel Insects?
Geraniol has a relatively high vapor pressure and gives off a dilute vapor into the air stream which acts as an area repellent. This helps repel insects before they land. The natural tendency of Geraniol to evaporate makes it work as the active ingredient in wristbands, plastic beads, and other Repello repellent products. It also helps to improve the efficacy of liquid spray Geraniol Repello repellents.

DEET is a Chemical Pesticide.
DEET is a synthetic, manufactured chemical that is also known to repel insects. When formulated with any ingredient, even tap water, it is required to be registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a pesticide. The National Pesticide Telecommunications Network reports that DEET does not readily degrade in the environment and has a moderate potential to move through soil and into groundwater. It is slightly toxic to fish, birds and aquatic invertebrates. Repello does not use DEET in any of its products.

Plastic, Rubber and Paint.
DEET is a very good solvent and will melt or cause damage to plastic, rubber and paint. Things like acrylic sunglasses, fishing line, watch crystals, finishes on firearms, paint on trucks, or similar materials can be damaged or destroyed if subjected to DEET-based products.

Flammability
Some DEET-based products have been found to be flammable, and many manufacturers of flame-retardant garments have issued warnings to their users not to use DEET-based repellents while wearing these flame retardant suits.

Repello products are Versatile and Easy to Use.
The Repello range of products are safe to use on people or with equipment and do not have the flammability issue. In fact, products like the wristband don't even need to be worn with direct skin contact. Many users put them on belt loops, baby strollers, shoelaces or hat bands and find them to be highly effective when used in this manner.

Efficacy of the Repello Product Range
We pride ourselves in offering you the best natural solution, and argueably the best protection per se, for your insect repellent requirements. From personal, to home, pets and farm environments, Repello products cater to your every need, whether camping, fishing, riding or protecting your dairy herd or valuable steed.

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful in the later stages of disease. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. Steps to prevent Lyme disease include using insect repellent, removing ticks promptly, landscaping, and integrated pest management. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease can occasionally transmit other tick-borne diseases as well. 

Relapsing Fever is a disease characterized by relapsing or recurring episodes of fever, often accompanied by headache,muscle and joint aches and nausea.  There are two forms of relapsing fever:

• Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF)
• Louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF)

TBRF is caused by several species of spiral-shaped bacteria that are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected soft ticks. Most cases occur in the summer months and are associated in particular with sleeping in rustic cabins in mountainous areas of the Western United States. There are approximately 25 cases of TBRF in the United States each year.

LBRF is caused by another spiral-shaped bacteria, Borrelia recurrentis that is transmitted from human to human by the body louse. LBRF still causes sporadic illness and outbreaks in Africa. Illness can be severe, with mortality of 30 to 70% in outbreaks.

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Many people who are infected with Babesia microti feel fine and do not have any symptoms.

Some people develop nonspecific flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea, or fatigue.

Because Babesia parasites infect and destroy red blood cells, babesiosis can cause a special type of anemia called hemolytic anemia. This type of anemia can lead to jaundice and dark urine.

Babesiosis can be a severe, life-threatening disease, particularly in people who:

• do not have a spleen or whose spleen does not function normally;
• have a weak immune system for other reasons (such as cancer, lymphoma, or AIDS);
• have other serious health conditions (such as liver or kidney disease); or
• are elderly.

Complications of babesiosis can include:

• a low and unstable blood pressure;
• severe hemolytic anemia (hemolysis);
• a very low platelet count (thrombocytopenia);
• disseminated intravascular coagulation (also known as “DIC” or consumptive coagulopathy), which can lead to blood clots and bleeding;
• malfunction of vital organs (such as the kidneys, liver, lungs, and heart); or
• death.

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Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is caused by infection with a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) in the family Bunyaviridae. The disease was first characterized in the Crimea in 1944 and given the name Crimean hemorrhagic fever. It was then later recognized in 1969 as the cause of illness in the Congo, thus resulting in the current name of the disease.

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Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness. A rash similar to the rash of Lyme disease has been described in humans following bites of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum. The rash may be accompanied by fatigue, fever, headache, muscle and joint pains. This condition has been named southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI).

The rash of STARI is a red, expanding “bulls eye” lesion that develops around the site of a lone star tick bite. The rash usually appears within 7 days of tick bite and expands to a diameter of 8 centimeters (3 inches) or more. The rash should not be confused with much smaller areas of redness and discomfort that can occur commonly at tick bite sites. Unlike Lyme disease, STARI has not been linked to any arthritic, neurological, or chronic symptoms.

The cause of STARI is unknown. Studies have shown that is not caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Another spirochete, Borrelia lonestari, was detected in the skin of one patient and the lone star tick that bit him. However, subsequent study of over two dozen STARI patients has found no evidence of B. lonestari infection. In the cases of STARI studied to date, the rash and accompanying symptoms have resolved promptly following treatment with oral antibiotics.

STARI is specifically associated with bites of Amblyomma americanum, known commonly as the lone star tick. Lone star ticks can be found from central Texas and Oklahoma eastward across the southern states and along the Atlantic coast as far north as Maine. The adult female is distinguished by a white dot or “lone star” on her back. All three life stages of A. americanum aggressively bite people.

In general, tick-borne illness may be prevented by avoiding tick habitat (dense woods and brushy areas), using insect repellents containing DEET or permethrin, wearing long pants and socks, and performing tick checks and promptly removing ticks after outdoor activity. Persons should monitor their health closely after any tick bite, and should consult a physician if they experience a rash, fever, headache, joint or muscle pains, or swollen lymph nodes within 30 days of a tick bite. In most circumstances, treating persons who only have a tick bite is not recommended.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is interested in obtaining samples from STARI patients under an Institutional Review Board-approved investigational protocol. Physicians seeing patients with a recent lone star tick bite and an expanding rash at least 5 centimeters in diameter are encouraged to contact CDC at 970-221-6400 for more information. Patients must be at least 4 years old to participate. 

There are many bacteria and parasites that infest the fly, making flies a major factor in spreading many diseases by touching surfaces with their legs or their saliva. After walking on much excrement, flies may carry up to as many as 6 million bacterias on their feet. So be wary of foods that have been touched by a fly! Here's some information on the diseases some flies are known to help spread.

Leishmaniasis

•  This disease is found in South America, Africa, Indian Subcontinent and Europe.
•  It's caused by a parasitic protozoan transmitted by the bite of sand flies.
•  Symptoms of this disease usually includes fever, weakness, swollen spleen, and skin sores.
•  There is no treatment for this disease; it eats away at your skin.
• African Trypanosomiasis
•  This is a sleeping sickness and epidemic caused by a protozan blood parasite Trypanosoma.
•  It is trasmitted by the salivary glands of infected Tsetse flies in Africa.
•  Symptoms include a boil- like sore at the site of the bite, fever, headaches, and severe illness.
•  Treatment should apply in the early stages of the disease by anti-parasitic drugs.

Myiasis

•  This disease occurs mostly on animals such as dogs and sheep and cows, but sometimes it may occur on humans, more frequently carried by the Cheese Skipper fly.
•  It is trasmitted by a fly that lays its eggs on the skin of another organism. The larvae can burrow into the skin or penetrate itself in open wounds.
•  Symptoms include violent abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea with bloody discharge.
•  There is currently no treatment for this disease (on humans, that is; on animals insecticides are used), except to either let the larvae grow and leave at its own accord, or to remove it by enticing it.

Dysentery

•  This is a chronic disease that affects the large intestine in humans.
•  The parasite Entamoeba histolytica is the cause of this disease. This particular parasite can be found in uncooked meats, and may be transported by flies.
•  This disease is characteristic of sever diarrhea and severe stomache cramps.
•  Treatment with drugs containing metronidazole or ementine is recommended.

 Onchocerciasis

•   Onchocerciasis, also known as River Blindness is an infectious cause of blindness .
•  It is carried by a minute nematode worm that is spread bythe Simulium black fly.
•   Found in South America and Africa, a bite from this insect can transmit the worm to its victim.
•  The drug invermectin has helped stop the progress of the disease.

Bartonellosis

•   Found in South America, this disease is caused by the rickettsia organism transmitted by the bite of a Sand Fly.
•  Victims are usually exhausted from anemia, and experience a high fever and wart-like eruptions on the skin.
•  Treatment is available.

Typhoid

•  Flies rummaging around excrement may come across bacteria known as Salmonella Typhi, which may come from a person shedding it.
•  This disease is a type of fever. Symptoms include a body temperature of as high as 103° to 104° F (39° to 40° C), weakeness, stomach pains, headaches, and/or loss of appetite.
•  This disease can be found all over the world except in industrial countries such as United States, Western Europe, and Japan.
•   Treated with the drug chloromycetin, or ampicillin for those infected with bacteria that is immuned chloromycetin.

Leprosy

•   Leprosy, also known as Hansen's Disease, is a chronic disease that affects mainly the skin.
•   It is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae, which may be carried by flies from rotted foods.
•   An early symptom is anesthesia (or the numbness) of a patch of skin. Some muscles may be paralyzed. Because of the numbness of some nerves, injuries to the area are not noticed.
•  This disease is generally rare nowadays, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. A vaccine for leprosy is currently being developed.

• Malaria is one of the planet's deadliest diseases and one of the leading causes of sickness and death in the developing world. According to the World Health Organization there are 300 to 500 million clinical cases of malaria each year resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths.
• Children aged one to four are the most vulnerable to infection and death. Malaria is responsible for as many as half the deaths of African children under the age of five. The disease kills more than one million children - 2,800 per day - each year in Africa alone. In regions of intense transmission, 40% of toddlers may die of acute malaria.
• About 40% of the world's population - about two billion people - are at risk in about 90 countries and territories. 80 to 90% of malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa where 90% of the infected people live.
• Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest malaria infection rate. Here alone, the disease kills at least one million people each year. According to some estimates, 275 million out of a total of 530 million people have malaria parasites in their blood, although they may not develop symptoms.
• Of the four human malaria strains, Plasmodium falciparum is the most common and deadly form. It is responsible for about 95% of malaria deaths worldwide and has a mortality rate of 1-3%.
• In the early 1960s, only 10% the world's population was at risk of contracting malaria. This rose to 40% as mosquitoes developed resistance to pesticides and malaria parasites developed resistance to treatment drugs. Malaria is now spreading to areas previously free of the disease.
• Malaria kills 8,000 Brazilians yearly - more than AIDS and cholera combined.
• There were 483 reported cases of malaria in Canada in 1993, according to Health Canada and approximately 431 in 1994. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States received reports of 910 cases of malaria in 1992 and seven of those cases were acquired there. In 1970, reported malaria cases in the U.S. were 4,247 with more than 4,000 of the total being U.S. military personnel.
• According to material from Third World Network Features, in Africa alone, direct and indirect costs of malaria amounted to US $800 million in 1987 and are expected to reach US $1.8 billion annually by 1995.

Referenced from http://archive.idrc.ca/books/reports/1996/01-07e.html

There are over 850 tick species, about 100 of which are capable of transmitting diseases. In the U.S. five genera, Amblyomma (e.g. lone star tick), Dermacentor (e.g. American dog, Rocky Mountain wood, pacific coast ticks), Ixodes (e.g. black-legged, Western black-legged ticks), Ornithodoros, and Rhipicephalus (e.g. brown dog tick) transmit to humans the vast majority of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and toxins. Multiple diseases can be contracted from a single tick bite.

Ticks are bloodsucking external parasites that feed on humans, wild and domestic mammals, birds, reptiles and others. They are totally dependent on the blood/tissue fluids of the host. The longer an infective tick feeds, the greater the chance of infection.

• Ticks are not insects. Ticks have eight legs as an adult and two body segments, whereas insects have six legs as an adult and three body segments. Ticks are arachnids, as are chiggers, spiders and mites.
• Ticks have four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. The egg hatches into a larva. A larva ("seed" tick) has six legs. It feeds and molts into a nymph. A nymph has eight legs and no sex differentiation. It then feeds and molts into an adult. The adult is differentiated into male or female. The female requires a blood meal in order to lay eggs.
• A hard tick seeks a blood meal at, or slightly above, ground level by climbing onto vegetation and using its forelegs to feel/grab for a host. Ticks are usually found from ground level to three feet above the ground. A tick uses carbon dioxide, scent, body heat, and other stimuli to find a host.
• To be infective (capable of acquiring and transmitting infection) the tick must be able to maintain the infection through a molt. Ticks vary in their ability to do this. For example, dog ticks can acquire the pathogen that causes Lyme disease - so they can be "infected". But, they can not maintain the infection as they molt from one stage to another. Therefore, they are not "infective".

http://www.health.state.ri.us/disease/communicable/lyme/facts.php

For information regarding the costs per month, please visit our' forum' page where you can find a topic under EquestriGuard, started by Tim.