St. Joseph County man contracts deadly tick-borne illness

A St. Joseph County man is recovering after picking up one of the deadliest tick-borne diseases in the world.

He was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Early treatment of this disease can prevent death or serious illness.

The problem with this type – and other types of tick-borne diseases – is they often start out like the flu, so they can be misdiagnosed.

But in Brad O'Chap's case, he remembered something that helped doctors make a quick diagnosis.

O'Chap is an avid outdoorsman who says he spends most of his free time outside.

He and his friends traveled to southern Illinois for a long weekend away.

“Everything on your back,” he told WSBT 22. “Bring everything in everything out. Three nights in the woods and try to survive.”

O'Chap didn't realize his biggest challenge wouldn't be on that trip. It would be more than a week after he got home.

“I didn't think anything of it the first couple days. You just think it's a normal headache. Cold-flu symptoms.”

But those symptoms got worse. O'Chap experienced terrible joint pain, extreme sweating and fatigue, and trouble concentrating. At one point, he ended up in the ER.

“I just went thinking it was just the flu, but in the back of my mind I knew I had been bitten by the ticks,” O’Chap said. “So that was the main thing that made me want to make sure it was that.”

That is what saved him. Doctors immediately took blood tests and put him on a strong antibiotic before diagnosing him with Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

If left untreated, it can be deadly.

In fact, it is the same disease that killed an Indiana toddler last year after she was misdiagnosed.

Naomi Drexler is an epidemiologist with the Rickettsial Zoonoses branch of the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases.

“It's a really challenging disease to diagnose, especially in the early stages,” she said. “In the first couple of days when they are having early signs and symptoms.”

Doctors say if you are going to be outside, use repellent and check yourself for ticks. While not everyone who gets bit by a tick gets sick, doctors say you should let your physician know.

That's why O'Chap is on the mend and on to his next adventure.

Although he will be making some changes, saying he will have awareness and take preventative measures.

O'Chap and his friends are going to be using a solution called Permethrin, which you dunk your clothes and gear in and it is supposed to repel and kill ticks.

Thousands of cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever are diagnosed in the US every year.

In Indiana over the last few years there have been more than 160 cases diagnosed.

Doctors are required to report cases to the county health department. Numbers are tracked by the CDC.

You can get this in Indiana.

It is transmitted by the American dog tick, which lives in wooded areas and tall grassy fields.

It is here in Indiana.

Most cases happen in the southern part of the state.

Also, cases are reported by county and may not reflect where the person got it.

In the future, O'Chap and his friends plan to treat their clothes and gear in something called Permethrin, which can help kill and repel ticks on your body.