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Rare diseases of public
health significance are defined as diseases or conditions of
general public health concern, which are not commonly
diagnosed in Washington residents.
African Tick
Bite Fever
Cause:
Rickettsia africae.
Illness and treatment:
Symptoms include
fever, skin ulcers and swollen lymph nodes. Treatment is
with antibiotics.
Sources:
Certain hard tick species
transmit the disease from various mammals in sub-Saharan
Africa.
Prevention:
During outdoor activities in endemic areas, wear appropriate
clothing, use repellents and check the body for ticks.
Recent Washington trends:
Two state residents were infected in South Africa in 2005.
2008:
One case was reported in a state resident after travel to
South Africa.
Babesiosis
Cause:
Parasites in the genus
Babesia; at least two types occur in Washington.
Illness and treatment:
Symptoms include
fever, chills, muscle aches, fatigue, jaundice, and
hemolytic anemia. Treatment is with both antibiotics and
antiparasitic medications.
Sources:
The deer tick, Ixodes
scapularis, transmits the disease from rodents.
Ixodes ticks occur in wooded, brushy, or grassy areas
worldwide. Transmission from infected blood donors and from
mother to infant has been described but cases are extremely
rare.
Prevention:
During outdoor activities in endemic areas, wear appropriate
clothing, use repellents and check the body for ticks.
Recent Washington trends:
Very few cases
have been reported in Washington, though occasionally up to
2 cases are reported annually. Most are acquired during out
of state travel.
2008:
One case was reported in a state resident after travel to
Massachusetts.
Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever)
Cause:
The soil fungus
Coccidioides immitis.
Illness and treatment:
Symptoms include
fever, cough, headache, rash, and muscle aches. Treatment is
with antifungal drugs.
Sources:
Exposure to airborne fungal
spores with disruption of contaminated soil in semiarid
areas such as southwestern United States, parts of Mexico
and South America.
Prevention:
Avoid exposure to dusty environments in endemic regions.
Recent Washington trends:
Since 2006,
Washington has had up to two cases each year.
2008:
One case was reported in a state resident after travel to
Arizona.
Ehrlichiosis
Cause:
Bacteria in the genus Ehrlichia.
Illness and treatment:
Usual symptoms are fever, headache and muscle aches. There
may be vomiting, diarrhea, cough, joint pains, confusion,
and rash. Treatment is with antibiotics.
Sources:
Certain hard ticks, mainly the Lone Star tick, transmit from
animal reservoirs such as deer, dogs, and rodents. Most
cases in the United States are in the southern, eastern, and
south-central states.
Prevention:
During outdoor activities in endemic areas, wear appropriate
clothing, use repellents and check the body for ticks.
Recent Washington trends:
Rare cases of
travel-associated ehrlichiosis are reported.
2008:
No cases were reported.
Rocky
Mountain Spotted Fever
Cause:
Rickettsia rickettsii.
Illness and treatment:
Symptoms include
fever, rash, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle and joint pain,
abdominal pain, lack of appetite, and severe headache.
Treatment is with antibiotics.
Sources:
Certain hard tick species
(American dog tick and Rocky Mountain wood tick) found in
the United States including in Washington transmit the
disease to vertebrates. These ticks live in woodlands,
grasslands, and shrubs between wetlands and woods.
Prevention:
During outdoor activities in endemic areas wear appropriate
clothing, use repellents and check the body for ticks.
Recent Washington trends:
Annually, 0 to 3
cases are reported.
2008:
3 cases were reported with potential exposures were in
Idaho, Canada, and eastern Washington or Yellowstone,
Montana.
Tick Paralysis
Cause:
A tick-produced neurotoxin
affecting the nervous system.
Illness and treatment:
Cases have acute, ascending, flaccid paralysis. If
unrecognized, tick paralysis can progress to respiratory
failure. About 10% of cases are fatal. Treatment requires
removing the tick; complete recovery usually follows.
Sources:
Neurotoxin produced by certain hard ticks is usually
released only after a tick has attached to a person for
several days. The Rocky Mountain wood tick and the American
dog tick are two species found in Washington that are
associated with tick paralysis.
Prevention:
During outdoor activities in
endemic areas wear appropriate clothing, use repellents, and
check the body for ticks, especially on the head or neck.
Recent Washington trends:
Occasional cases
are reported from eastern Washington, most often in young
girls whose long hair conceals attached ticks.
2008:
One case was reported in an adolescent boy who acquired a
tick in Kittitas County.
Purpose of Reporting and
Surveillance
- To understand the
epidemiology of emerging and uncommon diseases in Washington
State.
- To raise the index of
suspicion of a possible bioterrorism event.
Legal Reporting Requirements
- Health care providers: immediately notifiable to
local health jurisdiction.
- Hospitals: immediately notifiable to local health
jurisdiction.
- Laboratories: no requirements for reporting.
- Local health jurisdictions: immediately notifiable to
the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Communicable
Disease Epidemiology Section (CDES):
1-877-539-4344
Last
update
November 2009 |
