The Shadow
RICHMOND, Va. (VR) —During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hannah Robertson of Charlotte County experienced sudden-onset extreme exhaustion and was assessed for viral symptoms and possible dehydration. A second urgent care visit found elevated liver enzymes.
Though Robertson never saw or felt the tick that bit her, local emergency physicians quickly diagnosed Rocky Mountain spotted fever and administered a doxycycline drip to treat it.
The disease is primarily carried by a dog tick or Lone Star tick. Antibiotics like doxycycline can be used to treat many bacterial tick-borne illnesses, including ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease.
“It takes several days to get test results for that,” said Robertson’s mother, Aimee Adams. “If they hadn’t started treating Hannah immediately, she probably wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
Or, Robertson said, “I would be on dialysis for the rest of my life.”
They recently shared their story at a tick-borne diseases workshop at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Women’s Leadership Conference in Richmond.
Erin Small, a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent in Prince Edward County, led the workshop highlighting diseases transmitted by ticks, and bite-prevention measures.
Virginia is home to 16 tick species. While most bites are harmless, a few species pose risks. Infected blacklegged ticks may transmit Lyme disease—the most common tick-borne disease in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health. And a small percentage of people bitten by Lone Star ticks may develop an allergy to red meat called alpha-gal.
“It can cause hives or anaphylaxis,” Small said. “But for most people I know, alpha-gal symptoms are digestion-related.”
Small encouraged workshop participants to avoid walking through brushy areas, and to thoroughly self-inspect for ticks after outdoor activities. Ticks often attach to armpits, skin around ears and hairlines, navels, backs of knees or groin areas.
Ticks found attached to a person can be submitted for identification at the VDH Office of Epidemiology.
While a human vaccine for Lyme disease has entered clinical trials, four Lyme vaccines are approved for animals.
Commercial tick control for pets and livestock are effective too, Small said.
“If you have been using the same tick product for many years, you might consider trying a new one, as resistance can build up,” she noted. “I personally recommend the oral medications.”
To register for a May 6 Extension tick workshop in Farmville, call Small at 434-392-0300 or email erins96@vt.edu.
Visit vdh.virginia.gov/ticks to submit tick samples and survey responses. See Extension tick resources at bit.ly/virginiaticks.
