WQOW
ABC News

More Tick Trouble
Dunn County
Jul 15, 2005

Michael DuPont is fighting two illnesses caused by ticks.

One more reason to watch out for ticks: doctors are
diagnosing another disease caused by the tiny creatures.
There have been two cases in Menomonie in the last two
weeks. It's much more serious than Lyme disease but not as
common. It's called Ehrlichiosis. Since it was identified
19 years ago there have only been about 1,300 cases in the
U.S. "The biggest clues are a person would have often a
degree of headaches, sleepiness, confusion," says Dr.
Nathan Rich at the Red Cedar Medical Center. Dr. Rich says
it's just within the last five years he's started
diagnosing Ehrlichiosis. It's a bacteria that kills white
blood cells. "The tricky part is Lyme and this are caused
by the same tick so you can be infected with one or both,"
says Rich.

Michael DuPont had never heard of the disease until last
week when blood tests confirmed he has it. "Wednesday
evening I started having sore muscles, every joint in my
body ached," says DuPont. He thought the pains were
related to Lyme disease, which he was diagnosed with in
April, but the symptoms got worse: a fever, chills, bad
headaches. "In all honesty I thought Friday was probably
my worst day," says DuPont. "It just totally put me out."

Doctors say Ehrlichiosis doesn't cause a bullseye rash like
Lyme disease. That's why it's often mistaken for the flu.
"The infection itself causes an impressive degree of
confusion for the person," says Rich. "They just aren't
thinking straight, aren't talking right." Now that Michael
knows what he's dealing with, he's on antibiotics. And
he's watching out for ticks. "Everyone thinks Lyme
disease, Lyme disease, Lyme disease, but it doesn't mean
that it's Lyme disease," says DuPont

One reason more folks are being diagnosed with Ehrlichiosis
is because doctors are now testing for it. They say if it
goes untreated, it could be fatal. Prevention tips are the
same as with Lyme disease: wear long pants and sleeves in
wooded areas and bug repellant with Deet. This disease is
also a concern for pets. Michael DuPont says his
neighbor's dog died four days after a tick was pulled off.

Contact: News Director, Lisa Patrow; lpatrow@...

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