Kocky Mountain spotted fever is most common in the

Kocky Mountain spotted fever is most common in the Southeastern and South Central regions of the U.S. The disease is easily treated if correctly diagnosed. Symptoms occur from two to 12 days after a tick bite and include sudden chills, severe headache, high fever, joint and muscle aches, tired feeling and a measle-like rash.

“If you experience any of these symptoms during tick season, see a physician,” Robinson said. “Be sure to tell the doctor if you had a tick on you or if you remember removing a tick from your pet or person.”

Only one to two percent of the total tick population transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A tick must feed on a person for at least six to 10 hours before it can infect humans. Unfed ticks are flat and colored various shades of brown; ticks fully gorged with blood are oval and become slate gray, or green to dark blue.

Of the 15 kinds of ticks found in Virginia, only three are common pests of man-the American dog, the lone star and the brown dog ticks.

The adult of the American dog tick is brown, with many spots or streaks of white on its back. These ticks, which transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, have been identified in over 50 counties and 15 cities in Virginia. They can be found from the Atlantic coast to the mountains, but are mainly prevalent in the Piedmont region.

Lone star ticks, which also spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever, are dark brown and marked on the back with a single white spot (female) or with several white spots near the end of the back (male). These ticks have been found in about 35 Virginia counties.

The brown dog tick is solid brown and the most uncommon of the three. It is satisfied with dogs as hosts, but will infest homes or other buildings if dogs are present. In Virginia, they are a household problem chiefly in the winter because they can survive only in