Also known as Colorado tick fever, tick fever is a condition that is known to affect humans and is the result of suffering a tick bite. The virus that causes the illness is present in small mammals, most notably – ground squirrels and chipmunks. Once the tick has inhabited one of these furry creatures, the virus enters its system. The cycle is carried on through hereditary where the infected tick will lay eggs and give birth to already infected ticks. Once a person is bitten by one of these infected ticks, the virus spreads rapidly all through the body. The tick that causes the condition is known as a wood tick and will usually attach itself to a host and will generally hide in cracks and crevices or soil when it is not attached to a host. It has a tendency to stay under soil if it is unable to locate a host before the winter months and will only then resurface during winter to continue its search for a host. The adult variants of the little creatures will usually climb onto the higher parts of grass in order to attach themselves on a host passing by with the help of cement – like substance that is secreted from their mouths.
For some unknown reasons, the condition seems to be more frequent in men than in women. The condition will also give rise to a few symptoms including chills, nausea, a severe ache in the muscles, and vomiting, acute sensitivity to light as well as the development of a rash on the skin during the initial stage of infection. Most symptoms of the condition will usually start to develop between the third and sixth day from the initial tick bite. Some cases may also see an incubation period of about 20 days though. The virus is also known to be able to exist in the blood for up to about 4 months. If the patient is a child, the consequences can be far reaching as a result of their lower levels of immunity. Some children may even require hospitalization in order to be effectively treated for the condition.
While there are no prominent and well known natural treatment options when dealing with Colorado tick fever, one of the most essential steps to be initially taken will be to make sure that the tick is fully removed from the skin. This should be performed with the help of tweezers to ensure that the head does not remain attached to the skin while only the body is extracted. If the tick is still alive, you can try applying some dilute tea tree oil over it as this would block any air from reaching it – causing it to retract itself from the skin. Make sure your grab hold of it when it does though.