![]() Having been a physician for decades, Dulude had a strong background in the medical field and never stopped looking for an explanation for his son’s illness or possible remedies to alleviate his symptoms. “I failed my own son.”īut people familiar with the situation attest that Alec had the best advocate possible in his father. He begged me to help him,” Richard Dulude said. On the morning of April 1, he died by suicide at the age of 27.Īn autopsy showed evidence of two more tick-borne illnesses: borrelia miyamotoi and another unknown species of bartonella. But the infections had been in Alec for years. His father said he began to see his son’s old self return. It wasn’t until 2022, with the help of a doctor focused on chronic health conditions, that the Duludes learned Alec was positive for two tick-borne infections: borrelia burgdorferi (known as Lyme) and bartonella henselae infection (known as cat scratch disease).Īlec began antibiotics. ![]() Different treatments would sometimes yield results, but only briefly. Perhaps it was a vitamin deficiency or a black mold infection. ![]() The tolling years of mysterious illness had occasional instances of hope. About six years ago, when he was 21, he had to stop playing sports at Oregon State University and then quit school altogether because of health issues he couldn’t explain.Īs the years went on, it got worse, escalating into rampant mental illness, bouts of psychosis and rage that landed him in jail. “I’ve got a purpose in life for the rest of my life,” Dulude said.Īlec Dulude was described by his loved ones as extraordinary - unselfish, social, active, smart, driven and brave. Dulude is a retired doctor, a grieving father and now an ardent advocate for tick-borne illness awareness. Here are the 10 states that reported the most number of cases of tick-borne diseases between 20, according to data from the CDC.Richard Dulude lives in a big house on the edge of west Salem surrounded by his son’s fingerprints - photos of him, remnants of his various projects and many books about what might have happened to him. In fact, Sam Telford, who studies ticks at Tufts University, told the National Institutes of Health that “depending on where you live, most tick bites don’t necessarily carry an infection.” State and local health departments report thousands of cases of tick-borne diseases each year, data shows. If you find a tick on your skin, remove the tick with tweezers as soon as possible. Treating clothing with permethrin, avoiding wooded areas with high grass and staying in the middle of walking paths can also help prevent tick exposure. The Centers for Disease Control recommends showering and checking your clothing, body and pets for ticks after spending time outside – even if it’s only in your backyard. ![]() Ticks typically live in grassy or wooded areas and can also live on animals. While Lyme disease is the most well-known tick-borne illness, ticks can transmit other diseases such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis and spotted fevers such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. As temperatures increase, so does tick activity and the risk for tick-borne diseases in the U.S.īites from the small, bloodsucking arachnids can infect humans with illnesses such as Lyme disease, which accounts for more than 80% of tick-borne illnesses.
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