A farmer in King William County found out the hard way that a tick bite can lead to serious health issues.
Charles Green suffered a mild heart attack within hours of consuming a cheeseburger one day. Green, the deputy commissioner for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, found out months later the attack was due to an allergic reaction to red meat and dairy transmitted by a Lone Star tick.
The condition, known as Alpha-gal syndrome, wasn’t something he ever worried about as he worked on his family farm.
“I was dressing for the summer weather,” Green told Virginia Farm Bureau. “But not dressing to avoid tick bites.”
In addition to avoiding red meat and dairy, he also has to be careful with mammalian derivatives used in products like gel caps and lanolin lotions.
Subsequent tick bites can worsen or awaken the condition, Green said, so he wears layers and tucks in permethrin-treated clothing when he is working outside.
“It took months to figure out what was going on with me, while others go years without an answer,” he said. “If any person has unexplained symptoms, this awareness may help find a path forward.”
A blacklegged deer tick and Lyme disease
Jessica and Wes Gwaltney’s 3-year-old daughter, Ella, was bitten by a blacklegged deer tick after spending time outside on a warm summer day in Giles County. The deer tick is known for carrying Lyme disease.
The family called their doctor who advised them to keep an eye on the bite zone.
A month later, their daughter complained of sore knees.
“We asked the pediatrician to test her specifically for Lyme, and it was positive,” Wes Gwaltney said.
Antibiotics were prescribed but were followed by headaches, stomach pain and night terrors. Ella was prescribed a more aggressive antibiotic.
Her condition worsened to one morning when Ella wasn’t breathing.
An allergist eventually helped the Gwaltneys navigate Lyme disease, and Ella was prescribed a steroid for flare-ups, which has helped.
“We don’t want other families to experience this. Take tick bites seriously,” said Jessica Gwaltney.
Virginia Department of Health: Tick bite prevention
- Walk in the center of trails and avoiding brushing against weeds and tall grass
- Keep grass and underbrush cut down
- Place a three-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas
- Wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be seen easily, and tuck pant legs into socks.
- Conduct tick checks on children and pets every four hours when staying outside
- Apply insect repellents containing active ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, oil of eucalyptus, Bio-UD or IR3535 to exposed skin
- Check armpits, ears and hair, belly button, backs of knees and groin.
Virginia Cooperative Extension: After a tick bite
- Use tweezers to grasp the tick as close as possible to the skin, and pull slowly with even pressure
- Wash the bite wound with antiseptic
- Drop the tick in rubbing alcohol, and keep it for a few months to identify it in case any disease symptoms develop
Get help with tick identification through the Virginia Department of Health website at vdh.virginia.gov/ticks or the Virginia Cooperative Extension website.