Ticks carry more diseases than you might think

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How to protect yourself as tick season approaches By Jeffrey Kluger Editor-at-Large For most people, any thought of tick-borne infections starts and stops with Lyme disease, an illness that afflicts about 40,000 Americans each year. But ticks are much more infectious—and much more pernicious—than that. The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists 22 diseases carried by multiple species of ticks across the country. Never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat that can be triggered by a tick bite? Up to 3% of all Americans may carry alpha-gal antibodies, indicating they’ve been infected (at least asymptomatically). Then there’s anaplasmosis. Spread by the black-legged tick, it can lead to fever, headache, muscle pain, chills, and, in an unlucky few, encephalitis, or brain inflammation, requiring hospitalization. There’s also babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus disease, and many more. After reporting on tick-borne diseases this week, here are my takeaways: Don’t think you’re safe just because summer hasn’t arrived yet; tick season has gotten longer due to climate change, which is causing hotter springs and milder winters. Where you live is no guarantee against tick-borne illnesses; Lyme disease and a few others may be most common in the Northeast, but the sheer number of tick species that carry disease means that no place in the country is completely safe. What to do if you decide to go for a ramble in the woods: protect yourself with insecticide containing DEET; tuck your pant legs into your socks; do a full body check of yourself and your pets for ticks when you get home; shower well; and wash the clothes you wore and dry them on high heat to kill any ticks. READ MORE   Share the story

What else to read Why Some Scientists Believe the Future of Medicine Lies in Creating Digital Twins By Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield Digital twins can make medicine truly predictive and personalized, write Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield. Read More » Johnson & Johnson Proposes Paying $8.9 Billion to Settle Talc Baby Powder Lawsuits By Associated Press J&J's plan to cover allegations that its talc baby power caused cancer would be one of the U.S.' largest product-liability settlements. Read More » Good Eggs and Bad Bunnies: Your Chocolate Choices, Ranked by Sustainability By Aryn Baker How the world's biggest chocolate manufacturers—from Nestlé to Mars to Cadbury—rank on their commitment to environmental and human rights. Read More » What to Know About Pancreatic Disorders and IBD By Markham Heid A look at the most common pancreatic issues associated with inflammatory bowel disease—and how to protect yourself. Read More » Hate Your Job? Stop ‘Rage Applying’ and Do This Instead By Anisha Kohli Here are some tips to channel your job frustration into improving your career. Read More »

ONE LAST READ Prebiotics are NOT probiotics Brightly colored prebiotic sodas like Olipop and Poppi are making a splash on social-media platforms, where they're touted as an easy way to boost your gut, brain, and immune health. Experts, however, are skeptical—and point to a lack of solid research supporting the products' use. One nutrition professor emphasized to the Washington Post that the drinks won't do anything "magical" for your health. Read More »

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