Some insects are a mere annoyance while others, like ticks, can actually cause sickness and disease. Not only can these pesky little parasites be harmful to humans, they can be harmful to animals as well. Throughout the world, tick-borne illnesses have nearly quadrupled over the past 60 years. In the United States, scientists have discovered at least a dozen new diseases caused by ticks. Unfortunately, the state of California is not immune to ticks and the diseases they carry.

While it's not very pleasant to think about getting a tick-borne illness, being aware of the different types of ticks and the diseases that they carry can help you to become more proactive about protecting yourself and your animals.

Here are three tick-borne diseases in humans and animals that you should be aware of.

Lyme Disease

From 1989 to 2014, only 2,600 cases of Lyme disease have been reported in the state of California. Although this tick-borne illness is not as common in California as it is in other parts of the country, residents should still be aware that it does exist in this state. Lyme disease primarily gets transmitted by black-legged ticks.

Symptoms to look for when it comes to this particular tick-borne illness include:

Another common symptom is a skin rash called erythema migrans. This rash can develop anywhere from 3 to 30 days after a tick bite. The rash slowly expands, sometimes up to 12 inches in length across the skin. The rash can develop in more than one area of the body.

If left untreated, Lyme disease can cause joint pain and neurological problems including a temporary paralysis to one side of the face, impaired muscle movement, and an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

This disease can get transmitted by three different kinds of ticks including the American dog tick, the Rocky Mountain wood tick, and the brown dog tick. While these three ticks are not very common in California, the disease that they spread can be fatal. In 2014, a California resident died after getting sick with Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Only 3 to 5 percent of the cases of this tick-borne illness in the United States are fatal.

Common symptoms associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever include:

The first line of treatment for this disease is a medicine called doxycycline. This antibiotic is most effective if given before the 5th day of symptoms. If symptoms are not treated during the first 8 days, chances are higher that it could become fatal.

Anaplasmosis

Animals, as well as humans, can fall prey to tick-borne illnesses. Cats and dogs have also been known to contract Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever after getting bitten by a tick. Another illness both humans and animals can get from ticks is anaplasmosis.

Some of the most common symptoms of this disease include:

If left untreated, anaplasmosis can cause hemorrhage, renal failure, neurological problems, and breathing problems. The fatality rate of those diagnosed with this disease is less than 1%.

In the state of California, this tick-borne illness is becoming increasingly common in cattle. Cattle over the age of 2 that contact this disease can become very ill and if left untreated, it can be fatal.

If you live in an area where there are ticks and you want to do everything you can to protect yourself and your animals from tick-borne diseases, contact Area-Wide Exterminators to see how our residential pest control services can help.