RICHMOND — Tick bites often go undetected until symptoms arise.
Charles Green, deputy commissioner for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, ate a cheeseburger at lunchtime one day, and by dinnertime suffered a mild heart attack.
“I knew something was really wrong,” Green said.
It took five months for Green and multiple doctors to realize the symptoms were an allergic reaction to red meat and dairy from a molecule transmitted by the Lone Star tick.
Alpha-gal syndrome wasn’t high on Green’s “worry radar” as he worked on his King William County family farm in 2022.
“I was dressing for the summer weather,” he said. “But not dressing to avoid tick bites.”
Initial blood tests revealed elevated troponin, which suggests cardiac stress. Multiple procedures did not find anything amiss.
“In a last-ditch effort, I asked my primary care physicians to run oddball tests,” he said. “Luckily we included alpha-gal.”
The diagnosis was a game changer.
In addition to avoiding red meat and dairy, he also has to be careful with mammalian derivatives used in products like gel caps and lanolin lotions.
Subsequent tick bites can worsen or awaken the condition, Green noted, so he now he wears layers and tucks in permethrin-treated clothing while working outside.
“It took months to figure out what was going on with me, while others go years without an answer,” he said. “If any person has unexplained symptoms, this awareness may help find a path forward.”
Sometimes tick bites happen out of season, like they did for the Gwaltney family in Giles County.
Jessica and Wes Gwaltney spent time outside on a warm winter day in 2022 with their two young daughters. They checked them for ticks, but didn’t find any.
Three days later, their 3-year-old daughter, Ella, felt one on her neck. It was a blacklegged deer tick, which carries Lyme disease.
The family called their doctor, who advised keeping an eye on the bite zone.
A month later, Ella complained of sore knees. “We asked the pediatrician to test her specifically for Lyme, and it was positive,” Wes said.
Antibiotics were prescribed, but were followed by headaches, stomach pain and night terrors. Ella was prescribed a more aggressive antibiotic.
One night she woke up not breathing, and that snowballed. Finally, an allergist helped the Gwaltneys navigate Lyme disease, and Ella was prescribed a steroid for flare-ups, which helped.
“We don’t want other families to experience this. Take tick bites seriously,” Jessica said.
To prevent tick bites, the Virginia Department of Health recommends:
Walking in the center of trails, and avoiding brushing against weeds and tall grass.
Keeping grass and underbrush cut down. Place a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas.
Wearing light-colored clothing so ticks can be seen easily, and tuck pant legs into socks.
Conducting tick checks on children and pets every four hours when staying outside.
Applying insect repellents containing active ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, oil of eucalyptus, Bio-UD or IR3535 to exposed skin.
Checking armpits, ears and hair, belly button, backs of knees and groin.
If bitten by a tick, Virginia Cooperative Extension recommends using tweezers to grasp the tick as close as possible to the skin, and pull slowly with even pressure. Wash the bite wound with antiseptic.
Drop the tick in rubbing alcohol, and keep it for a few months to identify it in case any disease symptoms develop.
Get help with tick identification through the VDH website at vdh.virginia.gov/ticks.
Set teens up for success with safe driving tools
RICHMOND—The riskiest time for a teen driver is often at the start of their driving career.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16-year-olds is 40% higher than for 18-year-olds.
There’s a lot of anxiety that comes with sending your teen off to drive. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available for helping teens achieve a safe and successful driving career.
Parents can help their teen driver get off to a solid start by enrolling in Virginia Farm Bureau’s Smart Start Program.
“It’s all about starting off with good driving habits,” explained Barry Light, Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. senior product development manager.
The program takes about 30 minutes to complete and includes a video, booklet and quiz on covered materials. Participants will find helpful tips on Virginia driving laws and a review of safe driving habits, as well as a pledge to drive smart.
New drivers under 18 who successfully complete the course can receive an extra 5% off auto insurance premiums.
Teens may enroll online or through their Farm Bureau agent starting at age 16, but they must be accident- and conviction-free to qualify for the discount. Enrolled drivers also must maintain a valid Virginia driver’s license and stay listed on a VFB personal auto policy.
To learn more, visit vafb.com/insurance/Information-center/smart-start-program. To enroll, contact your local Farm Bureau insurance agent.
Evaluating teens’ driving habits also has gotten much easier, thanks to a wealth of no-hassle safe driving mobile apps.
VFB’s Drive2Save program offers extra incentives for downloading the Routely app, which helps users assess their driving habits in real time. Customers can receive a 10% discount on their auto insurance for enrolling in the program, and the safest drivers can save up to 30% at their next renewal.
“Safer drivers make safer roads,” Light noted. “Drive2Save is a great tool to supplement creating those good habits.”
Routely detects distracted driving, high speeds, sudden braking and time of day. Once the app is set up, it will automatically assess trips and provide tips to improve driving scores. Rates will be adjusted automatically at renewal.
Contact a VFB agent to enroll in Drive2Save and request an activation code. Visit vafb.com/drive2save for more information.
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