Check For Ticks! Published July 14, 2012 By James Burns, MSgt, WIANG Public Health Technician Volk Field CRTC -- Tick season is ongoing and the potential for contracting a disease from them is hitting close to home. Recently we had a Guard member assigned to Volk Field with a confirmed case of Ehrlichiosis/Anaplasmosis from a tick bite. This bacteria can cause nausea and flu like symptoms a few days after the bite. There is good information about this condition at the WI DHS website. http://dhs.wi.gov/communicable/TickBorne/index.htm The ticks are still out there looking for a ride and a meal. The best way to dissuade them from becoming your new best buddy is to wear long sleeves, long pants, use an insect repellent with 20-30% deet, and of course do those tick checks on yourself and your pets after being in tick prone areas. Along with the commonly known Lyme's Disease with its red bull's-eye lesion the deer ticks and black legged ticks in WI and nearby states can also carry Human Anaplasmosis(HA) and Ehrlichiosis, a bacteria transmitted by the biting tick. This often doesn't show up as a red spot or lesion but rather the majority of people with anaplasmosis experience nausea, headaches, fever, chills, and muscle aches, that can be confused with common diseases such as influenza. The onset of anaplasmosis generally begins within 3 weeks (5-21days) of a tick bite. So, if you experience these symptoms, with no one else around you having a summertime flu. See your Doc and have it checked out.