The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-09-13

neighborhood. This points up the
warning that it is no longer an
exclusively Rocky Mountain dis
ease. 1t has now been reported in
AZ states, the exceptions being the
New England States and Michi-
gan. 1t is most frequent in the
Rocky Mountain states where 1t
was first described. OF the eastern
states it has been reported most
frequently from Maryland, North
Carolina and Virginia. The aver
age number Of cases occurring each
year in the United States is prob
ably in excess of 600.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
is an acute. infectious, but not
contagious, disease, transmitted to
human beings exclusively by bites
from infected ticks. In the early
days in the west this relationship
was recognized and it was called
stick fever"
Varieties Of Ticks
There are several varieties Of
wood ticks which can transmit the
disease-the common dog tick and
rabbit tick among them. The dis
ease is not primarily one Of human
beings, but of animals, and a re-
servoir of the disease is kept going
in the bodies Of such wild animals
as raccoons, skunks and rabbits
and possibly domestic cattle,
horses and dogs. Human beings
pick up the ticks when they are
in the woods or garden or pos
sibly from domestic animals. Very
few Of the ticks which you or your
dog may pick up during a wood
land stroll, however, are infected.
The ticks transmit the virus, or
germ, of Rocky Mountain Spotted
Fever to humans, or other ami
mails, when they bite. They also
become infected themselves by Bit
ing an infected animal. After
feeding they fall off the host and
seek shelter in the bushes and at
tach themselves TO man or animal
as he passes by.
Ticks carry the virus Of the dis
ease for long periods. After hiber-
nation in the spring the virus in
their bodies is attenuated and q
bite at this time does not produce
infection in a victim. But in the
course of the summer the virus be-
comes activated in the ticks body,
and it is then dangerous. This
accounts for the seasonal distribu-
ttion Of the disease-in summer
and early fall.
Symptoms Of Fever
The symptoms Of Rocky Noun.
tain Spotted Fever in humans
come on abruptly with fever and
usually hard chill. Headache and
muscle ache are very severe. On
the second to fourth day the erup-
ton appears with thickly distrib-
luted red, sometimes raised, spots
on the feet, legs, hands and arms
first, later the entire body. Com
plete prostration and mental con-
fusion are common.
The treatment is general rather
than specific. In other words, no
drug or serum which has a certain
record of cure is known. Rest, in
bed, liquid diet and supportive
measures are the first line Of
defense. Convalescent serum and a
form Of anti-serum, are some
times helpful. DR.. George Baker,
of Casper, Wyoming, has used neo-
arsphenamine in metaphene solu-
ton in the vein with increasing
success.
Prevention would be possible il
all wood ticks could be destroyed,
but that is impossible. Those who
have to go in wooded country
where Spotted Fever is known TO
occur should wear heavy overall
clothing, wrapped around the body
so tick attachment Is impossible.
No successful tick repellent is
known. A tick fever vaccine has
been used successfully as preven-
tive.