Target: Laina Bush, US Department of Health’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
Goal: Take action to curb growing risks posed by lone star ticks.
A blood-sucker with a big bite is pulling up stakes and putting more humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife at imminent risk. The lone star tick – once confined mostly to warmer regions of the southeast – is rapidly expanding northward and westward, increasing its habitat (and hosts), due mostly to a warming climate. The eight-legged arachnid is notable for a star-shaped white dot on its back, but is most renowned for the plethora of dangerous diseases it can inflict.
A number of bacterial or even viral infections can arise from the tick’s bite, including rare forms that can be fatal if left untreated. Symptoms can resemble the flu. Hosts can also develop a bad rash or extreme nausea vomiting, diarrhea, and joint pain. And in a rare allergic condition known as alpha-gal, hosts can actually acquire a severe allergic reaction to red meat. In some cases, the allergy can cause a heart attack. And felines are susceptible to an illness, known a bobcat fever, that can cause death.
Sign the petition below to encourage an expansion of efforts to mitigate this public health menace.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Assistant Secretary Bush,
Lone star ticks – usually found in areas of thick vegetation – have become a rapid-on-the-rise threat to humans and animals. In the past few years, the range of these pests have expanded exponentially. Therefore, more living beings are at risk of multiple dangerous ailments, including bacterial and viral infections and developed allergies to red meat consumption.
A number of preventive approaches have been implemented by affected regions, including vegetation management, controlled burns, and acaricide application. As the threat spreads, so should government-led efforts to curb the worst effects. Please develop a national framework for widely implementing mitigation measures, public awareness campaigns, and accelerated vaccine development. Get ahead of the problem before it becomes a crisis.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: James Gathany
