More Tick Trouble

WQOW-TV - Eau Claire
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.