KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The latest test results on ticks captured in Kalamazoo County shows that a large number of them are carrying the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease.
Of the 24 collected last year and sent off to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing, seven of them were infected and possibly contagious.
County Administrator Kevin Catlin says people should take precautions when spending time outdoors to avoid contracting insect borne viruses from ticks and mosquitoes.
He says repellants should contain DEET and people should check themselves and their pets for ticks when they return indoors.
Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a distinctive skin rash, that starts as a small spot and grows to look like a bullseye. If untreated, the infection can spread to the joints, heart, and nervous system, sometimes causing permanent disabilities.
One of the local ticks tested by the CDC was carrying a bacteria that can cause a kind of “Yellow Fever” in dogs and horses. It’s called that because the animal can look jaundiced. It’s called anaplasmosis.
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