While you may be focused on the tick explosion that’s expected for the summer—bringing with it Lyme Disease and other tick borne illnesses—there’s another tick related matter you should be aware of: the arrival of the East Asian Tick. So far, it’s been found on two farms–one in Virginia, and one in New Jersey. But it’s not just another biter, this tick can carry diseases far more serious than Lyme Disease!
The good news is, the ticks that have been found have not been reported to carry severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), which can cause some nasty symptoms starting with the standard viral symptoms (fever, aches, headache, fatigue…), includes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as serious symptoms like lymph node illness, low blood platelet count, and potentially death.
Because this is a new invasive species, awareness and communication can help slow it from spreading. We don’t know how it got here, and finding it on two far apart ranches blows the initial theories out of the water. For now, officials are working to help control the ticks by killing them wherever they show up, and trying to find some potential predators to naturally control the tick spreading—but that will have limited success until we know how it got here, and unless people help watch for it and report sightings.
Ticks can make both animals and people sick, and you may not feel a bite. Pets can carry them into the home, and symptoms may be delayed enough that you don’t even realize the cause was a tick bite. Staying aware of ticks this summer is step one!
Step two is making sure you’ve got good daily immune support, like from colloidal silver. In addition to watching for bites, keeping ticks out of your yard, and seeing a doctor, a little extra immune support can help you be prepared for the unexpected.
Stay prepared this summer with colloidal silver.
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