What diseases are caused by ticks? A bite from a tick can cause anything from a mild irritation to, in the case of some ticks, paralysis. A large number of ticks on an animal can cause anemia, weight loss, and even death. Ticks can also transmit many diseases to humans.

In North Carolina, the most common tick-borne disease is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Ticks can cause several other illnesses and diseases such as Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis and Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI).

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of tick-borne diseases may include:
fever
nausea
vomiting
muscle pain
lack of appetite
severe headache
rash
joint pain
These symptoms may occur from 3-30 days after a tick bite, depending on the disease. Tick borne illnesses should be treated by a doctor and most people will have a complete recovery.

How to prevent tick diseases:

Wear light-colored clothes that will allow you to see ticks that may get on you. Tuck your pants legs into your socks so that ticks cannot crawl up the inside of your pants.
Use a repellent to keep ticks from attaching. Repellents that contain permethrin can be sprayed on boots and clothes and will last for several days. Repellents that contain DEET (n, n-diethyl-m-toluamide) can be put on the skin, but will last only a few hours before more is needed. Use DEET carefully on children. Large amounts can be harmful.
Check your entire body for ticks after youve been in outdoor areas where ticks may be. Remove any tick you find. (See below for the safe way to remove a tick.) Parents should check their children for ticks, especially in the hair, when they have been in an area where ticks may be found. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothes or pets. They may not attach right away so both should be checked carefully to make sure that no ticks are present.

What is the best way to remove a tick?

Use fine-tipped tweezers, and protect your fingers with a tissue, paper towel, or latex gloves. Avoid removing ticks with bare hands.
Take hold of the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull up slowly until it comes off. Do not twist or jerk the tick. This may cause the mouth of the tick to break off and stay in the skin. (If this happens, remove mouth parts with tweezers. Call your doctor if you or your child gets sick. Be sure to tell them when you removed the tick).
After removing the tick wash the area well, and wash your hands with soap and water. Do not squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick. The fluids inside may cause infection. If any of the tick fluids gets on your skin, clean the area very well with soap and water and disinfect with rubbing alcohol.
Place the tick in a plastic bag, close it well, and put it in your freezer. Write the date of the bite and how long the tick was attached on a piece of paper and place it in the bag. Saving the tick and this information may help your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis in case you get sick.

Did you know &

Ticks dont only feed on humans, dogs and cats. They also feed on many different kinds of mammals, birds, reptiles, and even amphibians.

For more information, visit the CDC website.

Disease of the Month - Hepatitis A

What is Hepatitis? Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by many things including viruses, chemicals, drugs, alcohol, inherited diseases, or a persons own immune system.

What is Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A is caused by a virus and can easily be passed between humans.

How is it spread?

The hepatitis A virus is found in the stool of people who are infected. It is usually spread in one of two ways:

Person to person contact:

when an infected person does not wash their hands properly after going to the bathroom, and touches other objects or food when a parent or caregiver doesnt wash their hands after changing a diaper or cleaning up after an infected person with certain sexual activities, such as oral- anal contact with an infected person Eating or drinking infected food or water: more likely to happen in countries where hepatitis A is common food and drinks most likely to be affected are fruits, vegetables, shellfish, ice, and water Chlorine in our drinking water kills any hepatitis A virus that enters the supply.

What are the symptoms?
Some people get hepatitis A and have no symptoms. Adults are more likely to have symptoms than children. If someone has symptoms they may include:

Weakness
Nausea or vomiting
Stomach pain
Loss of appetite
Low-grade fever
Dark urine
Muscle or joint pain
Yellowing skin or the whites of the eyes (jaundice)

How is Hepatitis A treated?

There is no special treatment for hepatitis A. Those with symptoms may feel sick from less than 2 months to as long as 6 months before beginning to feel better. Some people need to go to the hospital. Rest, good nutrition, and fluids are most often suggested by doctors.

How can Hepatitis A be prevented?

Get the hepatitis A vaccination. Anyone over the age of 1 year may be vaccinated against hepatitis A. Children between the ages of 1-18 may receive the vaccine at no charge at their local health department. Those traveling to foreign countries where the disease is common should get the vaccine as soon as they know they will be traveling.
Wash your hands often with soap and warm water! Always wash well after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, and before eating or preparing food. For more information: http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/ HepatitisA.htm. You may also call the Health Centers Disease Control Division at 250-5109.

Disease of the Month - Everything You Need to Know About Rabies

What is Rabies?
Rabies is a preventable disease that is caused by a virus. The disease is usually found among wild animals; however it can be passed to pets and humans. Raccoons and bats are the most common carriers of rabies in Western North Carolina.

How is it spread?
The rabies virus is passed through the saliva of an infected animal, most often through biting or licking.

What are the symptoms of rabies in animals?
Some animals may show no symptoms at all. Others may have all of these symptoms:

Act unusually vicious
Stumble or fall
Refuse to eat
Doesnt move for long periods of time
Wild animal may lose fear of people

How Can I Protect Myself?

Keep your pets and horses up to date on rabies vaccinations.

Call animal control to remove any stray or wild animals from your neighborhood. Do not try to remove or handle them yourself!
If you find a bat in your home, secure the room and call animal control to remove it. Secure your home and other occupied spaces to prevent bats from entering. Do not feed, handle or adopt wild animals.
Teach children not to handle wild animals and to avoid contact with animals they are not familiar with. If you are traveling abroad, avoid wild animals and dogs.

What if my pet or I are bitten?

If your pet is bitten by a wild animal take the pet to a veterinarian for care immediately. call animal control to search for the wild animal. If you are bitten or think you may have come in contact with a rabid animal wash your hands and affected areas immediately with soap and water;
call your doctor or Health Center right away; call animal control to remove the animal. If a child, a mentally disabled person or an intoxicated person is found in a room with a bat seek medical care for them immediately to be sure they have not been exposed to rabies.
call animal control to remove the animal.

What else is important to know?

Once symptoms of rabies appear, a person rarely survives.
If you suspect that you have been in contact with a rabid animal, call your doctor immediately!

Bites from bats can be very small and hard to see. Let animal control remove a bat from your home and test it for rabies.

For more information about rabies, visit www.cdc.gov/rabies.

Playing Safe in the Sun

There is never a safe time of year to be exposed to the sun. While many think they only need protection in the summer it is important to apply sunscreen daily before going outside. Skin cancer is by far the most common cancer in the U. S. with 1 in 5 individuals being diagnosed. There are two types of skin cancer: non- melanoma which is the most common and Melanoma which can be fatal.

While some skin cancers appear to be influenced by heredity, most are caused by sun exposure. Although most occur in adults, studies have shown its' development may be related to our behavior as children. The two primary triggers are accumulated lifetime exposure to the sun and severe sunburns. This means the more we spend in the sun over our lifetime the greater the risks of developing skin cancer.

Protecting children is important since we get most of our lifetime exposure before the age of 18. Because of this children need to know how to play safe in the sun by finding shade, wearing coverup clothing, and using sun screen. One severe sunburn before the age of 18 appears to significantly increase the risk for developing Melanoma. Eye damage can lead to cataracts and blindness when older. Each time children go outside  think of the clothes they wear  clothes that cover the body like long pants vs. shorts, shoes vs. sandals, long sleeves vs. sleeveless, etc.

When going outdoors everyone should wear a hat with at least a 3 brim. This will help protect the head, ears, neck, and face. The use of sunglasses will protect the eyes. Using sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor SPF 15 will give 2 hours of protection. Both lotion and lip balm should be applied 30 minutes before going outside. Use broad spectrum products that protect against both UVA and UBA rays.

Remember, there is never a safe season against the sun protect yourself year round. For programs on Sun Safety, please contact Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center at 828-255-5522.

Leaves of Three, Let It Be

Along with the arrival of summertime and outdoor activities, comes the risk of an itchy case of poison ivy.

Poison ivy always has three leaflets at the end of a long stem. These three leaflets make up one leaf. The leaflets can vary quite a bit in their exact shape. Although poison ivy is usually thought of as a vine, it will often grow as a weak shrub, standing up 2 to 3 feet tall. Old vines climbing trees are easily recognized by the extremely hairy stem.

An established patch of poison ivy can be quite difficult to eradicate. The plant spreads by underground runners, so the root system can be very extensive. Individual small plants can be dug up or pulled when the ground is soft. A heavy infestation is best controlled with repeated herbicide applications.

Several herbicides are available for use on poison ivy. Products that are readily available for home use include the following ingredients: 2, 4-D (Weed-B- Gon, Southern Lawn Weed Killer, Wipe-out, others), glyphosate (Round-Up, KleerAway, Kleenup,others) and trichlopyr (Brush-B-Gon, Power Force Brush Killer and others). Products containing dicamba are also very effective, but should not be used over the root area of trees and shrubs. Be sure to follow label directions carefully for use and mixing rates of all herbicides. These products should be considered non-selective and will damage other plants.

Mosquitoes can spread illness; protect yourself from bites

RALEIGH Sentinel chicken flocks maintained by local governments and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are showing an increase in mosquito-borne viruses that can make people and animals sick. These birds are showing an increase in Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) activity from mosquito bites. Four horses have also been reported with EEE.

To avoid human illness, Public Health officials are urging North Carolinians to take simple steps to prevent mosquito bites and to reduce mosquito breeding conditions around the home.

Recent rainfall in some parts of the state, along with the warm summer weather, provides ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes, said State Epidemiologist Dr. Jeff Engel. Mosquitoes can be more than just a nuisance  they can also make people seriously ill. Now is the time to fight the bite!

Exposure to mosquitoes can be limited by wearing long- sleeved shirts and long pants and by using insect repellant, Engel said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends several repellant ingredients against mosquitoes  DEET, picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus.However, oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years old, says the CDC. Engel reminded consumers to look for products that contain the CDC-recommended ingredients and to carefully read and follow all label instructions.

Another key to avoiding bites is reducing the numbers of mosquitoes around peoples homes, according to Dr. Nolan Newton, chief of DENRs Public Health Pest Management Section.

You can make your backyard a whole lot less mosquito- friendly by getting rid of any containers that hold water. That will take away mosquito breeding grounds, Newton said.

Take a good look at your yard to spot potential problem areas, he said. Things like bird baths, old tires, planters, toys and even small containers like tin cans can give mosquitoes a place to thrive. Cover rain barrels with tight-fitting screening and clean out birdbaths at least twice a week.

For additional information regarding mosquitoes and mosquito-borne illness, go to the following websites: www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/phpm and www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/arbov irus, or search for mosquito on the CDC site at www.cdc.gov or the N.C. Public Health site at www.ncpublichealth.com.

Healthy Tip - Summer Skin-Saver: Cucumbers!

Fresh, crunchy cucumbers are not only low in calories and high in fiber -- theyre also full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can feed your complexion from inside and out. Here's how:

Refresh and protect. Cucumbers contain vitamin C and caffeic acid, two antioxidants that, when applied to the skin, help fend off wrinkles, sun damage, and more. Vitamin C builds collagen and elastin, protein fibers that give skin its youthful plumpness. "Caffeic acid inhibits cancer cells and protects skin cells exposed to UV radiation," says New York dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD. No wonder many spas offer hydrating face treatments made of crushed cucumber.

Home version for kitchen divas: In a blender, barely puree half a cucumber and 2 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt -- it should be thick, not drippy. Pat all over your face and neck, sit back for about 15 minutes, then rinse, and relish how good your skin feels.

Deflate puffy peepers. Chilled cucumber slices act like delicate mini ice packs, relieving puffy eyes. One reason: Cukes are 90% water, which helps them stay chilly even on hot spots. "Their cold minimizes the swelling by constricting the blood and lymph vessels that bring fluid to the eye area," says Dr. Wechsler.

Get the red out. Cucumbers' natural anti-inflammatories calm and soothe skin reddened by rosacea or sunburn. "Place thin, cold slices on the 'butterfly' region of your face, starting around your nose and spreading out onto your cheeks -- or anywhere there's redness," says Dr. Wechsler. After a 15-minute lie-down, remove, then apply a light moisturizer.

Pamper every inch. If you're feeling adventurous, try this super skin softener used in Korean bathhouses. Grate a whole cucumber -- including the dark green peel, which is rich in skin- friendly potassium, magnesium, and copper, says Dr. Wechsler. Stir in just enough milk and safflower oil -- two other skin wonders -- to make a thick soup, and warm it in the microwave. Then, using a loofah, scrub down your whole body with the mixture and shower off (make sure your drains got a good strainer). Your skin will feel satiny soft, and your bath and body will smell amazing.

Source: www.RealAge.com

Health & Home Care/Staff & Services

Stanly County Home Health Agency
1000 N. First Street, Suite 3
Albemarle, NC 28001
704-982-1141

Home Health Care
Stanly County Home Health Agency
1000 N. First Street, Suite 3
Albemarle, NC 28001
704-982-1141

Clinics & Doctor Offices

Stanly County Health Department
1000 N. First St., Suite 3
Albemarle, NC 28001
704-982-9171

Community Health Center

Stanly County Health Department
1000 N. First St., Suite 3
Albemarle, NC 28001
704-982-9171

Obstetrics & Gynecology
Stanly County Health Department
1000 N. First St., Suite 3
Albemarle, NC 28001
704-982-9171

Pediatrics

Stanly County Health Department
1000 N. First St., Suite 3
Albemarle, NC 28001
704-982-9171