A look at common ticks which bite humans in Australia

 

LEFT: Australian Paralysis Tick before & after feeding. 

Image: WikipediA

RIGHT: Southern Paralysis Tick. Image: iNaturalist

LEFT: Ornate Kangaroo Tick. Image: WikipediA

RIGHT: Common Marsupial Tick. Image: shire.science.uq.edu.au

LEFT: Southern Reptile Tick (Male). RIGHT: Southern Reptile Tick (Female).  

Images: Tasmanian Arachnids

In early November 2022 authorities began to warn that this summer was likely to see a rise in tick numbers due to to widespread and persistent wet weather. At the same time, veterinarians were warning that the high number of domestic animals suffering tick bites was placing a strain on tick anti-venom supplies.

Now in 2023 the Australian Dept. of Heath has observed that globally in recent decades, “ticks have been expanding their geographic ranges largely due to climate change.”

Below is what might be described as a cliffs note on common ticks which bite humans in Australia.

Australian Government Dept of Health and Aging, Guidance Note: Introduction to Ticks, Australian Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases and Illnesses, excerpt, January 2023:

Overview and summary

Ticks are parasites that feed off animal and human blood. Globally, ticks, along with mosquitoes, are recognised as the most important vectors in the transmission of bacterial and viral pathogens to humans and animals. Ticks transmit the most diverse array of infectious agents of any blood-feeding arthropod and have the potential to pose public health and biosecurity risks.

Globally, there are almost 900 species of tick, distributed into two main families: soft ticks (Argasidae) and hard ticks (Ixodidae). Of these nearly 900 tick species, only 28 species globally are recognised to transmit human pathogens, which include organisms such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa.

Hard ticks have a hard, flat body and elongated mouthparts with rows of backward pointing teeth. This group includes the most important species that bite humans. Hard ticks favour habitats with areas of vegetation, such as forests and fields where females lay eggs on the ground, however, they may also be found in urban areas if there are unoccupied patches of grass.

Soft ticks have a wrinkled leathery appearance. Only a few species of this type are found in Australia, and they rarely come into contact with people. Soft ticks generally favour sheltered habitats and will hide in the nests of hosts or areas where hosts rest.

While ticks and tick-borne diseases are often limited to specific geographical regions, they may be potentially found anywhere in the world, with international travel from endemic regions to non-endemic regions by people, animals and cargo, potentially transporting ticks.

In recent decades, ticks have been expanding their geographic ranges largely due to climate change.

Australian ticks and tick-borne illnesses

In Australia, there are over 70 species of tick, 66 of which are endemic to Australia. Five species were introduced by humans with domestic animals (‘exotic’ ticks), which result in economically important diseases restricted to domestic animal hosts. None of the exotic ticks typically bite or feed on humans.

Of the tick species endemic to Australia, 17 may attach and feed on humans, but only six of these ticks are able to act as competent vectors for the transmission of pathogens to humans. Apart from the occasional local bacterial infection at the tick bite site (eschar) the only two systemic infections that are definitely known to be transmitted by tick bites in Australia are rickettsial infections from infection with Rickettsia spp.(Queensland tick typhus (QTT), Flinders Island spotted fever (FISF), and Australian spotted fever (ASF)), and Q fever (Coxiella burnetii).

Two additional species of Rickettsia (other than those that cause QTT, FISF and ASF) have been identified in Australian ticks and may be considered potential pathogens, although their presence in febrile patients has yet to be confirmed. These new species are Rickettsia gravesii and Candidatus Rickettsia tasmanensis.

The species of Australian ticks known to bite humans and transmit bacterial infection are:

• the Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus), which is endemic on the east coast of Australia and causes QTT due to Rickettsia australis and causes Q fever due to C. burnetii

• the common marsupial tick (Ixodes tasmani), which occurs in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria and causes QTT due to R. australis and causes ASF due to Rickettsia honei subsp. Marmionii

• the southern paralysis tick (Ixodes cornuatus), which occurs in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania and causes QTT due to R. australis

• the ornate kangaroo tick (Amblyomma trigutattum), which occurs throughout much of the central, northern and western Australia and causes Q fever due to C. burnetii

• the southern reptile tick (Bothriocroton hydrosauri), which occurs mainly in southeastern Australia and causes FISF due to R. honei

• the Haemaphysalis novaeguineae tick (no common name), which causes ASF due to R. honei subsp. Marmionii.

Three of the 66 species endemic to Australia are well-known for biting and feeding on humans - the Australian paralysis tick (I. holocyclus), the ornate kangaroo tick (A. triguttatum), and the southern reptile tick (B. hydrosauri).

In Australia, most tick bites pose no medical problems if the tick is safely removed. Tick bites can lead to a variety of illnesses in patients, with the most common being allergic reactions. The Australian paralysis tick is the most medically significant tick in Australia and is

responsible for over 95% of tick bites in humans in eastern Australia and for most tick-borne illnesses in Australia. The Australian paralysis tick can cause several illnesses, severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), mammalian meat allergy (MMA), paralysis, and death.

While tick bites in Australia can lead to a variety of illnesses in patients, as indicated above, much about Australian ticks and the [non-allergic] medical outcomes following tick bites remains unknown and requires further research…..

In Australia, no definite tick-borne viral infections of humans are known, although a new tick virus has recently been isolated (Graves, unpublished).²

2 Unpublished at the time of publication of this Guidance Note. Provided by Graves, S. R., April 2021

COVID-19 NSW STATE OF PLAY 2023: Counting Dead People

 

The NSW Perrottet Government publishes a very basic update of COVID-19 infection statistics once every 7 days and it releases a weekly epidemiological report whenever it feels in the mood.

So the only NSW Respiratory Surveillance Report-weekly epidemiology summary currently available which contains data on new infections, hospitalisation and basic mortality demographics, only covers the period 1-7 January 2023.

In that particular 7 days only two out of the 15 state local health districts did not record a death due to COVID-19, these were the Far West and Northern NSW.

Of the total 92 deaths of people (aged between 30-39 years & 90+ years) recorded between 1-7 January, 36 were aged care residents (14 of these people died in hospital and 22 died at an aged care facility), 7 people diagnosed with COVID-19 prior to death died at home and presumably the remaining 49 died in local public hospitals.

The following graphics show that while infection and hospitalisation numbers are falling in the first three weeks of 2023 the death toll continues to mount.

 

Graphics via @NSWHealth

 

The total number of deaths included in these four graphs represent 352 people.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 January 2023:

Everyone dies. But last year in NSW, far more people than usual did. Every single week up to September, dozens more deaths were reported than the state’s average. The cause is no secret: a rapidly ageing population combined with the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

But behind those numbers stands a colossal and often misunderstood industry that deals with everything from palliative care and burials to cremation and counselling.

And under immense pressure, 2022 changed it forever.

Crematorium operators spent the year dealing with a “high volume” of requests, funeral directors have been forced to increase their services and, as if to prove bureaucracy stays with you to the grave, the city’s cemeteries are set to be full within 10 years.

Guardian Funerals, a giant provider of funerals across the state, said they assisted “more families than ever before in 2022 and as we have commenced 2023, there continues to be an increased demand for our services.”….. [my yellow highlighting]

It’s only now, after a few years of increased focus on dying, that the public is experiencing what those in the industry have known for decades: when it comes to dealing with death, Sydney is headed for a crisis.

Cartoon of the Week

 

Patrick Chappattee
via @WilliamJRipple

Tweet of the Week

 

We no longer need an El Niño event to trigger mass bleaching of corals, because La Niñas now are hotter than El Niños used to be just 20yrs ago. https://t.co/03FUn1DEuu https://t.co/Cs7hbqzd4j

— Terry Hughes (@ProfTerryHughes) January 17, 2023

NORTHERN RIVERS NSW STATE OF PLAY JANUARY 2023: in 39 days time it will be exactly one year since a catastrophic extreme flood devastated Lismore

 

As this sad milestone approaches for Lismore residents it must often feel as though the pain will never stop.

ABC News, 18 January 2023:

The Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW says it has received dozens of complaints about power bills issued for unoccupied flood-affected homes & businesses on the state's Far North Coast.

Lismore business owner Anne Walker said she had not used her business premises since it was flooded in February 2022, but months later she received messages from her retailer that said she owed more than $700.

"The texts were coming in saying if I didn't pay this amount, they were going to discontinue my electricity, which is ironic because there was no electricity," she said.

Ms Walker spoke to her provider in October to address the issue, but it took until last week to be resolved.

"It was very stressful — extremely stressful," she said.

The ombudsman's office recorded 55 complaints from the Northern Rivers since the start of September, including 28 from the Lismore area.

"Often there's no resident there, the property is not occupied and, of course, the billing doesn't reflect the fact that," said ombudsman Janine Young.

"[There is] either no usage or, where there is some usage, it's overestimated."

Estimated bills to be reviewed

Residents who spoke to the ABC said the incorrect bills they received were based on estimates of their usage.

This occurs when a meter reader is unable to access a property to record the energy usage, so an estimated bill is issued by the energy provider.

In the case of a situation that has led to vastly reduced energy usage, or no usage at all, Ms Young said the rules for bill estimates needed to be reviewed.

"When estimates are done, the rules allow an estimated bill based on the same period the prior year, or on what a comparable customer might be," she said.

"When there's been floods & there's been no usage, if you're getting an estimate based on the prior year, that's completely wrong.

"Those rules have to be looked at."

Customers should first try to resolve any dispute with their retailer, but those left dissatisfied could turn to Ms Young's office for help, she said.

"We've had outcomes where we've got the bill waived, where we've had the daily supply charges waived as well," Ms Young said.

"The retailer is much more aware of the customer circumstances & when it's likely that the property can be again inhabited — if it can be."

No meters, no power

Adrian Walsh from Broadwater said he received an estimated usage bill of about $800, despite not having power after the flood.

"When I first rang up & complained [to the retailer] ... their solution was to pay the bill & perhaps I could claim it back later," he said.

"I wasn't really in the mood for that."

Bungawalbin's Keely Patch said metering equipment damaged by the floods was still not working in her area.

Despite having only a single working power point in her home, Ms Patch said she was sent estimated usage bills that totalled $800.

"If estimated bills are based off previous usages, that kind of gets taken out of the picture when, for months, there was no usage at all," Ms Patch said.

"Since the bills have come in, I've only been running a fridge & some lights & that's pretty much all I've got."

The ABC heard from people who were experiencing similar issues across a range of energy retailers.

In a statement, Origin Energy said it was committed to supporting customers affected by floods…...

Red Energy said it stopped billing & debt collection activities in the aftermath of the floods while it assessed the situation…….

Exclusive: Only one-fifth of the $1.6bn promised to flood-ravaged communities in the Northern Rivers region of NSW has been paid out by the Perrottet government, new data reveals. @australian https://t.co/SAmCfpvdxe

— Max Maddison (@maxmaddison) January 18, 2023

....Eleven months ago, an unprecedented deluge swept across the eastern seaboard, inundating towns across southeast Queensland and northern NSW, in one of the worst recorded flooding disasters in the nation’s history.

With communities such as Woodburn, Kyogle and Nimbin in the northeastern corner of NSW facing a monumental rebuild, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet vowed not a dollar would be spared in the recovery effort, saying those who had lost homes were a primary concern.

But of the $1.6bn promised by the government in May last year, Service NSW data reveals only $322.2m has been distributed eight months later.

Inordinately high numbers of grants had been ruled ineligible by the government, with more than 67 per cent of small business grants rejected.

South Lismore cafe owner Tony Zammit said his experience in the aftermath of the floods had been positive, but he had faced issues applying for the small grants program later on, with multiple applications green-lit by Service NSW staff before being subsequently rejected.

“Early on they were helpful but as time went on it became daunting. By the end, honest claims and applicants were treated as criminals,” Mr Zammit, the owner of The Sassy Bean cafe, said.

One near-$50,000 claim was deemed ineligible by Service NSW because assessors could not verify an $1100 electrician’s bill, he said. When he attempted to resubmit his claim, Mr Zammit was told he could not submit any of the same receipts as they had all been deemed fraudulent.

More than 80 per cent of rental support applications have been declined, while of special disaster grants available to farmers and primary producers, only $116m of $302m claimed has been paid out, despite 86 per cent of applications being approved or rejected.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke warned in May last year the government had an “obligation” to ensure the proper processes were in place to filter out fraudulent grant applications. The NSW government’s independent 2022 flood inquiry noted concerns among flood-impacted farming communities that there were “onerous processes for accessing grants, and for submitting development applications”.

An upper house inquiry reached similar conclusions, finding a lack of streamlined grants processes meant applicants were repeatedly interviewed, “leading to frustration and trauma”, while a lack of assessors on the ground “delayed the rollout of grants”…..

Internet scammers are as active as ever and currently targeting government benefit/allowance/pension recipients in Australia

Services Australia, 9 January 2023:

More and more scammers are creating social media profiles impersonating us and other government agencies.

Scammers will set up accounts to look like Services Australia, myGov, Medicare, Centrelink or even our employees. These accounts will look convincing, but will have little differences in the name or the spelling of the username.

These accounts will often message you saying they can help you, but they’re really trying to steal your information.

How to tell if it’s a scam

We will never ask you to engage via direct message or private chat on social media. These aren’t secure ways to share information.

We won’t ask you to share personal information like your customer reference number (CRN), address, phone number or email address via social media.

We have a list of our verified social media accounts on our website. If the account isn’t on that list, then it isn’t us.

A query on Twitter......

Clarence Valley Independent, 18 January 2023:

A dangerous new scam circulating through emails offering recipients ‘outstanding refunds’ has prompted a warning from the Australian government and Scamwatch.

Email security software company MailGuard issued the alert after intercepting emails posing as official emails from government agency myGov.

With an enticing subject line reading ‘You have an outstanding refund from myGov’ the emails encourage recipients to read further.

Despite being sent from what appears to be myGov, with an Australian Government logo, the website address refund@my.gov.au is the first sign this is a scam, as it is clearly different to the official site https://my.gov.au/ .

The body of the email is impersonalised, addressed to Dear Customer, informing them they have a refund of $640.98 available from myGov.

A link to accept the payment online then takes the user to a fake login page, featuring Australian Government branding to seem authentic, where they are prompted to enter their username and password.

There the user is asked to provide their full name, address, phone number, credit card information and CVV number.

MailGuard said the details would likely be used by cybercriminals.

“These details will again be stolen by the criminal and will likely be used for their personal financial gain or sold on the dark web,” MailGuard said in a statement.

“Refund scams are a cruel type of attack that target vulnerable individuals who could use the money promised.

“Instead, they risk financial and identity fraud.”….

Anyone who receives the suspicious email should delete it immediately without opening any suspicious links.

BACKGROUND

ABC News, 7 November 2022:

Between January and September this year, Australians lost $424.8 million to scammers (that's more than $47 million a month).

It signifies a 90 per cent increase in losses compared to the same period last year.

But those figures are likely only the tip of the iceberg, with just 13 per cent of victims reporting crimes to Scamwatch.

Byron Wildlife Hospital now open 7 days a week

 

ECHO, 17 January 2023:

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital has increased its operating hours to seven days a week to extend care for injured, sick, and orphaned native animals.

‘Critically injured wildlife can’t wait until the next business day to receive medical treatment for injuries and illness,’ said the service’s founding vet, Dr Bree Talbot.

‘They commonly present with injuries from impact collisions with cars, feral pest and domestic pet attacks, so it is incumbent on humans to provide a service to help them recover. It’s sad that the volume of patients is growing but we’re happy to be able to extend our service.’

A couple of native marsupials get some care at the Byron Wildlife Hospital. Image supplied

The International Fund for Animal Welfare is joining with the Hospital to extend its hours of operation.

Animal Rescue Officer Robert Leach said giving wildlife the best chances of survival meant ensuring they had access to immediate and specialised treatment.

‘By supporting this critical lifesaving work, we are giving animals a second chance at life back in the wild, where they belong,’ he said…..

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital is a fully licensed veterinary hospital providing expert veterinary triage, treatment and ongoing care for sick, injured and orphaned native animals. Licensed by the Veterinary Practitioners Board, it is Australia’s largest Mobile Wildlife Hospital.

The Hospital’s operating hours are Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am – 1:30pm.

Members of the public and licensed wildlife carers can bring injured and sick native animals to the hospital for immediate care, free of charge…...