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
Residents are encouraged to take precautions while outdoors to prevent tick bites.
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and the Chautauqua County Health Department recommends checking for and properly removing ticks, understanding the symptoms of Lyme disease and knowing when to call your medical provider.
Environmental Health Director Jessica Wuerstle said, “Not all ticks 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. It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi 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; so it is important to check for and remove ticks as soon as possible after an outdoor adventure.
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 of the body.
If you spend time outdoors, take 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 or 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, 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 attached, a one time dose of antibiotic may be prescribed to prevent Lyme disease. Contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible to discuss possible treatment options, especially if you do not know how long a tick was attached or if the tick is engorged with blood.
Symptoms of lyme disease including the development of a rash that looks like a bullseye, fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes may occur in the absence of rash.
The Chautauqua County Health Department cannot test ticks to determine if they are carrying bacteria or viruses that cause disease.
For more information, visit www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/lyme or www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html.
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