Top: Left to right size comparison of deer tick life stages over a dime: larva, nymph, adult male, adult female
Bottom: Visual on how to remove a tick
The Chautauqua County Health Department is advising residents to take precautions to protect themselves from ticks while enjoying the outdoors this Fall.
County Director of Environmental Health Jessica Wuerstle said, “Not all ticks can cause disease and not all tick bites will make you sick, but it’s important to learn how to prevent a bite, how to remove a tick and what to do if you think you were exposed to a tick-borne disease”
Lyme disease has more than doubled in Chautauqua County since 2014. Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium and can be spread to humans when an infected blacklegged tick (also known as a “deer tick”) attaches to a human. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, typically a tick must be attached for more than 36 hours to be able to transmit the Lyme disease causing bacterium. If you can locate and remove a tick within 24 hours an attached tick is much less likely to cause Lyme disease.
Deer ticks live in shady, moist areas at ground level. They cling to tall grass, brushes and shrubs, usually no more than 18-24 inches off the ground. They also live in lawns and gardens, especially at the edges of forested areas and around old stone walls. Ticks cannot jump or fly onto a person; they wait in vegetation and cling to animals or humans that pass by. Once a tick gets on the skin, it generally climbs upward until it reaches a warm, protected area.
If you spend time outdoors, the Health Department advises the following steps to protect yourself:
• Wear light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks easily.
• Wear enclosed shoes, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirts into pants.
• Check clothes and exposed skin frequently for ticks while outdoors.
• Consider using insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Follow the label directions when using repellents and apply in small amounts, avoiding contact with the eyes, nose and mouth.
• Stay on open, well-traveled trails. Walk in the center of trails and avoid dense wooded and bushy areas.
• Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls.
• Keep long hair tied back.
• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after going indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that may be on you.
• Do a final, full-body tick check at the end of the day (remember to check children and pets) and remove ticks quickly.
If you find an attached tick, you should remove it immediately, preferably with fine point tweezers. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and firmly pull the tick straight out.
Depending on how long the tick was biting, a one time dose of antibiotic may help prevent Lyme disease. Contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible to discuss possible treatment options, especially if you do not know how long the tick has been there or if the tick is engorged with blood.
Early Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
Later signs and symptoms include severe headaches and neck stiffness; facial palsy, pain in joints, nerve pain, and shooting pains.
The Chautauqua County Health Department cannot test ticks to determine if they are carrying bacteria that can cause disease.
For more information, visit www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/lyme or www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html or contact the local Environmental Health Division at 1-800-604-6789.
Leave a Reply