|
Patrolling
in Pants: Dealing
with tick season in the backcountry.
By:
Hans Erdman, WEMC-I
Patrol Director/NMBP
Instructor #03
It
is that time of year again, and this year it’s coming early.
Tick season. If you live anywhere in the country where the
emerging of ticks from wherever they go for the winter is
determined by snow melt and the last frost, get ready, now. April
1st and here in Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin,
where we had precious little snow or cold this winter,
temperatures have already been in the 70s and 80s, and we are
already seeing reports of tick bites and people finding wood and
deer ticks on them after walking in the woods. It is probably
going to be a long season this year.
A
few years back, our local National Mountain Bike Patrol (NMBP)
units, the Backcountry Trail Patrol, Barmy Dogs MTB Patrol and the
Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC) MTB Patrol, assisted on a major
lost person search in NW Wisconsin, one of the places with the
highest occurrence of Lyme disease in the county, during June,
historically the worst month of the year for ticks. One of our
members, who wore shorts on the first day of the search, removed
over 100 ticks from his legs and the rest of his body by the end
of the day. Those of us in long cycling pants fared somewhat
better. Lesson learned, so by Day 2, all of the patrol volunteers
had been warned, and were in long pants. A couple even stopped at
a local sporting goods store on their way up to Wisconsin and
bought long BDU/cargo pants to wear over bike shorts. It was hot,
but necessary. ((Ultimately, the victim was located alive after a
week, and was covered with literally hundreds of ticks when
found.)
I
have had Lyme disease twice in the years that I’ve been a park
ranger, bike patrol, and search and rescue volunteer. I have
learned the hard way, that taking adequate precautions takes time,
but it is far better than the alternative. Ticks can carry a
number of illnesses, the best known of which is Lyme disease.
Other illnesses include Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, tularemia
and tick paralysis, and that is only a partial list. Lyme
disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in the
United States. In 2010, more than 22,500 confirmed and 7,500
probable cases of Lyme disease were reported to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There are many symptoms associated
with tick-borne diseases. Infected patients may not have all of
these symptoms (For instance, I never developed the
“bulls-eye” rash.) and many of these symptoms can occur with
other diseases as well. Some common symptoms of infection with
tick-borne diseases include a “bulls-eye rash” surrounding the
bite site, body/muscle aches, fever, headaches, fatigue, joint
pain, stiff neck and facial paralysis. Tick-borne diseases are
diagnosed based on symptoms and the possibility that the patient
has been exposed to infected ticks. Most cases can be successfully
treated with specific types of antibiotics, especially if
treatment is started early. However, some patients may have
symptoms such as arthritis, muscle and joint pain, or fatigue for
an extended period of time.
To be continued...
|
Cold Weather
Medical Problems
Hypothermia
When
your body loses heat faster than it can produce it, a situation
may occur where all of your body's energy is used up trying to
produce heat. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body
temperature.
Victims
of hypothermia are most often elderly people with inadequate
food, clothing, or heating; babies sleeping in cold bedrooms;
and people who remain outdoors for long periods -- the homeless,
hikers, hunters, etc.
Each
person is affected differently by the cold. Wet and cold can
bring hypothermia on rapidly, or long exposure to the cold,
rain, and wind can bring the symptoms of hypothermia on slowly.
Mild
hypothermia occurs when the core body temperature is between
98.6° and 96°F. The core temperature for moderate hypothermia
is 95° to 93°F. If your core temperature reaches 92° or
below, you are in a life-threatening situation. This condition
will affect your heart rate, blood flow, and ability to think
clearly. Immediate attention is necessary.
Signs
and Symptoms of hypothermia:
In
Adults
·
shivering/exhaustion
·
confusion/memory
loss
·
drowsiness
·
slurred
speech
In
Infants
·
bright
red, cold skin
·
very
low energy
If
you believe you or someone else is suffering from hypothermia,
it is imperative to get to a warm room or shelter and call for
help. While you wait for help to arrive, remove any wet clothing
and warm the center of the victim's body first. An electric
blanket works well if one is available. Skin-to-skin contact
under loose, dry layers of blankets, clothing, towels, or sheets
may also be effective. Drinking warm beverages -- NOT ALCOHOL --
will also help increase the body temperature. Once the body
temperature has increased, keep the victim dry and wrapped in a
warm blanket including the head and neck until help arrives.
If
the victim is suffering from severe hypothermia, he or she may
be unconscious and may not seem to have a pulse or appear to be
breathing. In this case, you need to handle the victim gently,
and get emergency assistance immediately.
Frostbite
Frostbite
is an injury to the skin and sometimes the deeper tissues of the
body due to freezing or formation of ice crystals in the tissue
cells. Frostbite usually develops when the air temperature is
below -12°C (10°F), but may occur at a temperature
nearer the freezing point (0°C/32°F) when other elements, such
as high winds, dampness, or general chilling of the body, are
present. Hands, feet, noses, and ears are the most likely body
parts to be affected. Most often, the condition may be painful,
but is not usually serious. However, severe untreated frostbite
may result in gangrene.
You
can avoid frostbite by staying out of the extreme cold. If you
do have to go out, wear clothing to protect your face, nose,
ears, fingers, and toes. Also, wiggling your fingers and toes
frequently will help keep the blood flowing to these areas of
your body. If you begin to loose feeling in your fingers and
toes, or they begin to tingle, or feel painful, go inside and
warm up.Signs and symptoms of frostbite include:
- A
"pins and needles" sensation, followed by numbness
- Hard,
pale, cold skin
How
to treat frostbite:
If
you suspect you have frostbite, it is important to get indoors
or to a warm shelter as soon as possible. Take off any
constricting jewelry or wet clothing. Immerse the affected area
of your body in warm -- NOT HOT -- water, or apply warm cloths
to affected areas of your ears, nose, or cheeks for 20-30
minutes. When your tissue has been thoroughly warmed, the skin
will be soft and sensation will return. You should not use a
heating pad, heat lamp, or the heat from a stove, fireplace, or
radiator to warm yourself. Because you do not have any sensation
in these areas of your body, they may burn easily and you would
not feel it. Try to move the area of your body that is affected
as little as possible. This helps decrease the damage to the
affected area.
For further
information, contact:
Emergicare
Medical Training
About Emergicare
Medical Training:
Emergicare and Wilderness Rescue Associates, have been providing
training in EMS and backcountry rescue since 1978. They were
merged together to form Emergicare Medical Training, Inc., a
non-profit, educational organization. New quality control
programs were instituted to better respond to the suggestions
and needs of trainees, and new, custom training materials are
continually under development. Emergicare Medical Training
specializes in wilderness first aid and medical care, and
Minnesota DOT special-needs transportation (STS) driver training
at reasonable tuition rates. Our primary operating philosophy is
that you are more likely to take specialized training if it is
informative, enjoyable and affordable. Emergicare Medical
Training, Inc. is a non-profit, educational program of the
Backcountry Trail Patrol Association, Inc. For further
information on Emergicare Medical Training programs, please
Click
to send us e-mail
Special Notice to Missionary Organizations, Summer Camps, Guide
Services and Outdoor Groups:
Emergicare can conduct wilderness and backcountry and missions
medical training programs at your location, and customized to
meet your needs. E-mail
for more information.
|
