Strange illness overcome- A couple and their neighbor survived a rare tick-borne disease.
- From: "CaliforniaLyme" <CaliforniaLyme@xxxxxx>
- Date: 5 Sep 2005 18:12:20 -0700
Why is this strange>? RMSF from no known tickbite- and her husband AND
the neighbor got it too!!!
*****************************************
http://ydr.com/story/main/82792/
Strange illness overcome
A couple and their neighbor survived a rare tick-borne disease.
By JENNIFER NEJMAN
Daily Record/Sunday News
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
At bottom: · ABOUT ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER
order photo reprint
Bil Bowden - YDR
York Township neighbors John McDermott, right, and Bobbi Jo Knorr
contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever recently. They are pictured
here with their children, who often play together. From left, Maddie
McDermott, 4; Lexi Knorr, 1; Abby McDermott, 5; and Will McDermott, 2.
bigger version
A rash spread over Bobbi Jo Knorr's back. Dime-size mountains of
inflamed skin appeared on her ankles.
It looked like mosquitoes had eaten their fill of the York Township
woman's feet. Parts of them turned prickly-purple.
Before the rash and welts appeared, Knorr hadn't been feeling well. Her
muscles ached and she had a fever. She felt like she had exercised
harder than she had in her entire life.
She hadn't. Yet the tops of her forearms hurt. She couldn't muster
enough strength to twist off jar lids.
"I actually was a little bit weirded out," she said.
During the week of July 12, her doctor told her a virus might be the
cause of her illness. She took prednisone to control inflammation, but
the disease hadn't completely cleared out of her body.
By July 17, the morning after her husband, Scott, threw her a surprise
30th birthday party, the itchy rash and welts appeared on her skin.
Was it a reaction to champagne? she wondered. The rash flared and
receded as she took Benadryl.
Knorr returned to the doctor. Later, lab results confirmed she had
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
When they told her, she said, "I don't even know what that is."
Her husband, Scott, and neighbor John McDermott came down with it, too.
The culprit was a tick - either a dog tick or Rocky Mountain wood
tick - but not the one that transfers Lyme disease.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is the most severe tick-borne rickettsial
illness in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. The disease is caused by a bacterial organism.
Most cases don't appear anywhere near the Rockies; they are found in
Virginia and South Carolina, said Richard McGarvey, state Health
Department spokesman. Cases in Pennsylvania tend to happen in the
southern region, he said.
In 2004, Pennsylvania had 12 recorded cases, he said.
This year, health officials haven't found any outbreaks or unusual
numbers, McGarvey said.
The total number of cases in the United States was 1,091 in 2003, the
most recent national numbers available, according to the CDC.
As with many diseases, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can be fatal.
The CDC's death statistics do not present a clear picture of how many
people die from the disease because they are based on death
certificates from coroners, who might or might not list the disease as
a factor in a person's death, a CDC spokeswoman said.
In 2001, there were six deaths recorded in the United States.
Most cases, when caught early and treated, do not have any long-term
effects, unlike Lyme disease, which can go undiagnosed, McGarvey said.
Knorr and McDermott, whose families spend a lot of time together, said
they don't know where they picked up the disease.
No one found tick bites on their bodies, McDermott said. Knorr's dog
didn't test positive, either.
McDermott was at Hersheypark the day he started with hives on his knees
and elbows.
He thought he might have what his neighbors had but didn't go to the
doctor at first because they were hearing it might be viral. When Knorr
was diagnosed and given antibiotics, he went to the doctor, too.
All three are doing well now and no other family members developed the
illness.
"It's pretty strange," McDermott said.
Reach Jennifer Nejman at 771-2026 or jnejman@xxxxxxxx
ABOUT ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER
What is it?
The most severe tick-borne rickettsial illness in the United States, a
bacterial infection.
How do people get it?
The organism that causes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is transmitted
through the bite of an infected tick. The American dog tick and Rocky
Mountain wood tick are the primary transmitters.
Where do most cases occur?
More than half of the cases occur in the south-Atlantic region of the
United States, in Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, West
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The
highest incidence rates have been found in North Carolina and Oklahoma.
Can you get it again?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the
infection is thought to provide long-lasting immunity, but that
shouldn't keep people from practices that limit exposure to ticks, such
as tucking pant legs into socks, using insect repellents, especially
those containing DEET, and checking their bodies and family members'
bodies after being outside.
How do you remove a tick?
Don't use your bare hands; use tweezers. Grasp the tick close to the
skin surface and pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do not twist
or jerk, as this may cause parts of the mouth to break off and remain
in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouthparts with tweezers.
Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
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