Warning issued for tick bites

Monday, Oct. 9, 2000 | 11:27 a.m.

Three Mount Charleston residents have developed relapsing fever, a rare, sometimes fatal disease transmitted through tick bites.

The Clark County Health District has issued a warning to take precautions against tick and flea bites, since both the fever and a virus that causes bubonic plague have been identified in large animals in the area.

The cases of relapsing fever were diagnosed in the past week, but information about the three who contracted it was withheld to protect the residents' identities, Health District spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said.

Symptoms occur three to 11 days after infection by a tick and include chills, sudden fever of 103 degrees or higher, headache, vomiting and muscle aches.

The fever may last for more than a week. The symptoms lessen, and then the cycle repeats itself, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Four gray foxes and a coyote trapped in Lee and Kyle canyons this summer carried the plague, but no cases have been reported in humans.

The Health District has issued an alert to the medical community, including information on appropriate laboratory tests for identifying the diseases. One of the fever cases was originally diagnosed as Lyme disease, another tick-borne illness.

In addition, the CDC will perform confirmation tests of suspected cases of the fever.

As an additional precaution, the Health District is posting signs throughout the Mount Charleston area warning of the presence of both plague and relapsing fever.

Many cases of the fever eventually cure themselves. However, some people become critically ill, and pregnant women are at a high risk for miscarriage.

A recent case of relapsing fever in a Washington state infant caused the death of the baby seven days after birth. The mother had transmitted the disease to the unborn child.

Some children may develop symptoms such as seizures, stupor or inflammation of the nerves and accompanying numbness or loss of strength. The disease also may invade heart and liver tissues.

The infection is treated with antibiotics, and when left untreated, the death rate can be as high as 40 percent. With treatment, the death rate drops to 5 percent.

Any person who has visited an area that is infested with ticks and then develops a fever should see a doctor, Sizemore said, especially expectant mothers.

For more information about relapsing fever or plague, contact the Health District's Office of Epidemiology at (702) 383-1378 or the Environmental Health Division at (702) 383-1251.