OHIO CO., KY (WFIE) -
A woman in Ohio County, Kentucky is recovering from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and is giving a health warning about tick bites.
Living in a wooded area, Pam Dowell is familiar with ticks, but three weeks ago, she got the bite of a lifetime.
"I pulled a tick off me that had a white spot on it. The second day, I got a hard knot under it and it started turning redder. The third day, it had black in it. I knew something was wrong the fourth day. I got up and I was aching all over headache, fever, had rash all over me," Dowell said.
Dowell went to the Breckenridge County Hospital where she says she was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
"We have a few cases reported to us each year. It's really important to be aware of ticks and try to avoid tick bites. It's very serious. It can be fatal. If you suspect you have this, you definitely want to go to the doctor," said Clay Horton with the Green River District Health Department.
From there, Dowell was taken to OMHS where doctors had to remove the bite area.
"They cut a piece out about the size of a 50 cent piece," Dowell said.
Dowell also received antibiotics to treat the affected area.
"It's affected me in a way that I'm scared to death of bugs now. I have nightmare's over ticks now," Dowell said.
This bite victim wants the local government to start spending more money on controlling ticks.
"Something needs to be done by the government to spray. If this was a little kid, it would probably took them out," Dowell stated.
In the meantime, health officials offer some tips to help protect yourself from ticks.
"We always see a lot of ticks in our area. in tall grass, and wooded areas. You want to wear light colored clothing. You want to be checking yourself often. You definitely want to use a propellant," Horton said.
The Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is carried by dog ticks. Officials say only about 1 in 1000 ticks carry the disease, but urge people to get checked out if they feel something is wrong after a bite.
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