Tick bite fever

[Ontario Hunter]

Yeah definitely case by case. But with 20 pax per trip over two and a half years I got to see a lot of people that had this side effect. Malarone has its own kick. Was designed as an Antidepressant which turned out to be a great prophylactic, as an antidepressant not so good if your on depresistant meds it can make you worse! Had one girl who wanted to take a swim in Lake Kariba had to tire her down. Wasn’t till we got to Vic falls and visited the doc that we figured out what was up.
With malaria I just made dam sure I was covered up. But for short trips talk to your GP!
Sorry slightly off topic.

No apologies needed. Some helpful info in your post. Thanks. I know somebody whose sex life could use a kick now that he's off the antidepressants. Yeah ... asking for a friend. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[375Fox]

Don't count on it. My brother lived in upstate NY for most of the last 33 years. About 10 years ago or so he got Lyme's disease from a tick bite he got from a tick in the Adirondacks.

I check thoroughly now. They are their worst in PA early spring and through May. However, I’ve never seen the numbers of ticks in the USA like in Limpopo or Coastal Eastern Cape. I really think the lack of burning in those areas lets them get out of hand.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Doxycycline......in my opinion don't leave home without it.

For my trip to Uganda last October I discussed meds with my doctor. He said Doxy was good for a malaria prophylactic, but as noted here you have to keep taking for a couple weeks after returning. So we decided on Malarone, but he also prescribed Doxycycline as a just in case.

My buddy, Kevin ended up with an intestinal infection which as you can imagine is not just a lot of fun. After a couple of days some antibiotics were sourced and he was back on his way in short order. A couple of days later I ended up with the same infection. The just in case scenario......Doxy made short order of it.

I don't think I'll ever go back to Africa without a bottle of Doxy for those just in case moments. It is a wide spectrum antibiotic as my doc tells me, which simply means it cures a lot stuff.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I check thoroughly now. They are their worst in PA early spring and through May. However, I’ve never seen the numbers of ticks in the USA like in Limpopo or Coastal Eastern Cape. I really think the lack of burning in those areas lets them get out of hand.

Agree with you on the numbers of ticks. I've never seen anything like it, particularly in HluHluwe on the easter coast of RSA.

 

[revturbo9967]

Doxycycline......in my opinion don't leave home without it.

For my trip to Uganda last October I discussed meds with my doctor. He said Doxy was good for a malaria prophylactic, but as noted here you have to keep taking for a couple weeks after returning. So we decided on Malarone, but he also prescribed Doxycycline as a just in case.

My buddy, Kevin ended up with an intestinal infection which as you can imagine is not just a lot of fun. After a couple of days some antibiotics were sourced and he was back on his way in short order. A couple of days later I ended up with the same infection. The just in case scenario......Doxy made short order of it.

I don't think I'll ever go back to Africa without a bottle of Doxy for those just in case moments. It is a wide spectrum antibiotic as my doc tells me, which simply means it cures a lot stuff.

I had a bottle for "just in case" as it treats so many infections. Thankfully I didn't need to use it.

 

[Dewald]

Is the 100 mg daily dose for malaria prophylaxis enough to also prevent tick bite fever? Just curious as online I see it’s often prescribed as 100 mg twice a day for infections. Would also be curious as to the dose OP (@tay50) was prescribed.

Yes it mostly does, as it prevents the immature parasite from proliferating and reaching adulthood which is the time after the incubation period when it causes TBF. Some people might still get sub clinical symptoms for a day or two.

Obviously if you are only diagnosed when you have the full blown symptoms, you are indeed correct that 100mg BD is the appropriate dose.

 

[Dewald]

Not a great fan of Doxy as a prophlaxtic, as one of the side effects is that it makes you sensitive to sunlight! You feel like pins a needles across your skin. Had clients that ended up badly sunburnt even though they had sun cream on.
So for those with sensitive skin just be aware of this.
Its ment to clear up gonorrhoea though

Yes you are correct. It is not advised for people with type 1 skin ( your typical redhead with completely white skin)
All the rest very rarely get sun sensitivity symptoms.

 

[Dewald]

Agree with you on the numbers of ticks. I've never seen anything like it, particularly in HluHluwe on the easter coast of RSA.

That place (actually most of KZN) is the the epicentre of ticks, specifically those tiny pepper ticks. If I hunt there I wash myself every night with Permethrin dog shampoo to kill them

 

[Sideshow]

Yes you are correct. It is not advised for people with type 1 skin ( your typical redhead with completely white skin)
All the rest very rarely get sun sensitivity symptoms.

Not just type one skin, from my observations. Mind you these trips where 3 months in length a little different to your two to three weeker hunting trip. Doxy sure is good for clearing up small infections if nothing else is to hand.

 

[Hunter4752001]

I had a similar tbf experience. I must have been bitten shortly before flying back home. About a week later I was starting to feel crook and could see a number of the eschars. I went to the my local GP and told him that I thought I had African tick bite fever. He looked at me like I was another hypochondriac who spent too much time on Google. Told me it wasn't likely. Gave me a prescription for a general antibiotic (not Doxy) and sent me home.

After a week of the antibiotics there was no improvement. I rang a medical practice that specialized in travel medicine. I told them I had returned from Africa a fortnight ago and was experiencing fever etc. The receptionist immediately transferred my call direct to one of the doctors (there was an Ebola outbreak in the news at the time - I think it got their attention). I explained my symptoms, history and that I thought it might be African tick bit fever. They booked an appointment for first thing the next morning.

The doctor I saw had never encountered TBF before but had spent the night studying up on it. Fortunately the senior doctor in charge had encountered a couple of cases when he practiced overseas and could recognize the symptoms. With my agreement they also had every doctor and nurse in the practice come through and see what the eschars look like, as it s not something they would generally encounter in Australia. A quick course of Doxycycline and every cleared up right as rain.

A learning point out of this is that if you pick up something on safari, its quite likely that very few doctors in your home country will have encountered it before and will be dismissive about the likely cause. May pay to research a list of available exotic disease specialists in your area before hand.

 

[Dewald]

I send my safari clients ( I do 4 freelance hunts a year at the moment) with 14 days of doxycycline 100mg twice a day. It is dirt cheap. I explain the symptoms to them and tell them to consult their doctor if they fall ill. In case they get misdiagnosed they have the correct treatment to start ASAP. Quite frankly I don’t blame a general practitioner in the Northern hemisphere who misses African TBF. If someone from the South Pacific rocks up at my practice with a disease indigenous to their area I might well miss the diagnosis at first as well.

 

[Rock375]

Yes, that was the correct medication the nurse practitioner prescribed for my tick bite fever.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I had a similar tbf experience. I must have been bitten shortly before flying back home. About a week later I was starting to feel crook and could see a number of the eschars. I went to the my local GP and told him that I thought I had African tick bite fever. He looked at me like I was another hypochondriac who spent too much time on Google. Told me it wasn't likely. Gave me a prescription for a general antibiotic (not Doxy) and sent me home.

After a week of the antibiotics there was no improvement. I rang a medical practice that specialized in travel medicine. I told them I had returned from Africa a fortnight ago and was experiencing fever etc. The receptionist immediately transferred my call direct to one of the doctors (there was an Ebola outbreak in the news at the time - I think it got their attention). I explained my symptoms, history and that I thought it might be African tick bit fever. They booked an appointment for first thing the next morning.

The doctor I saw had never encountered TBF before but had spent the night studying up on it. Fortunately the senior doctor in charge had encountered a couple of cases when he practiced overseas and could recognize the symptoms. With my agreement they also had every doctor and nurse in the practice come through and see what the eschars look like, as it s not something they would generally encounter in Australia. A quick course of Doxycycline and every cleared up right as rain.

A learning point out of this is that if you pick up something on safari, its quite likely that very few doctors in your home country will have encountered it before and will be dismissive about the likely cause. May pay to research a list of available exotic disease specialists in your area before hand.

Ending of my story is amusing. The pharmacist did Google it after looking at my leg. Yep that looks like tick bite fever. She called the clinic to get the doctor to change prescription. It was Friday afternoon and everybody had left for the weekend. But my daughter's wedding was Saturday and I could barely stand up! So pharmacist called in the nurse practioner. He showed up twenty minutes later in shorts and golf shoes. He was very interested in my safari trip and wanted to see photos. Medication change fixed me up. Next day just as I finished climbing into my father of the bride duds I get a phone call from a very angry doctor. "What does that nurse think he's doing changing my prescription. He can't do that!" I told him to Google tick bite fever and look at the image on Wikipedia. Long pause. "Oh ... well ... that nurse over there knows a lot about African diseases." Wasn't the nurse. It was the other doctor. "What other doctor?" "Me. PhD University of Manitoba 2004. Next time pay more attention to your patient."

 

[BeeMaa]

An ounce of prevention...

My wife and I are proponents of permethrin sprayed on clothing (then dried) to prevent ticks from preying on us. I hunt extensively in New York and Virgina every year, and we've been to RSA as well. Each time we've treated our clothes and followed up each evening with a thorough inspection. It's worked extremely well for us. Found a few here and there, but not nearly as many as those without treated clothes.

When turkey hunting in Virgina, I've seen ticks land on the blanket I use as ground cover that's treaded with permethrin...they die almost immediately. It's impressive.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

An ounce of prevention...

My wife and I are proponents of permethrin sprayed on clothing (then dried) to prevent ticks from preying on us. I hunt extensively in New York and Virgina every year, and we've been to RSA as well. Each time we've treated our clothes and followed up each evening with a thorough inspection. It's worked extremely well for us. Found a few here and there, but not nearly as many as those without treated clothes.

When turkey hunting in Virgina, I've seen ticks land on the blanket I use as ground cover that's treaded with permethrin...they die almost immediately. It's impressive.

Tick inspections with your wife are highly recommended……sometimes twice in the same evening……just to be careful of course.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I feel your pain. Got tick fever 2019 safari.
It took 3 weeks of Doxy to get me over it. I had an abscess form at bite site. 10 days later it burst and left a small hole in my leg. It took over a month for it to all heal up.
I never leave without 20 days of Doxy and some other antibiotic, usually Amox-Clav 500mg. As I am allergic to Cipro

 

[BeeMaa]

Tick inspections with your wife are highly recommended……sometimes twice in the same evening……just to be careful of course.

Gonna have to use your own wife for these, mine is taken.

 

[Puddle]

The Dr. and I get along pretty well. I give him a heads up when I'm leaving, where I'm going, and when I'll be back and then we check-in afterwards. We spend most of our time chatting about the hunt and eventually get around to talking about whether I got bit or not.

One time his nurse even called me to ask "you've been back a couple of weeks, right? Any problems?".

I luv my Dr.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Sounds like mine also. Go two weeks before I leave usually. Quick check up, and he will give me any prescription's needed for just in case. Saw him this past week casually at a store. Asked when next trip was and said come in and will get all meds that might be needed. Usually have a check up about a week after I return also. Especially if it's been a 14-21 day trip.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Gonna have to use your own wife for these, mine is taken.

I ran this by my wife and she agree......not at first......but after she got done throwing various objects at me, it was all good.