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Who Let the Ticks Out?

This past winter's heavy snows provided an excellent insulating blanket for the counties tick population. As a result, the natural die off of some ticks may not have occurred and the potential for a larger quantity of ticks this year is being anticipated. County residents need to be aware of this increased risk and should begin checking themselves and their pets for ticks whenever they have spent time outdoors.

In Columbia County, there are two types of ticks that are commonly found. The tick that many people refer to as a "wood tick", is actually the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis). These ticks are reddish-brown in color and have silver-gray markings on their backs. They overwinter in the soil and are active from spring to fall. While dog ticks do not carry Lyme disease, they may carry another type of bacterial infection called ehrlichiosis. Symptoms of this disease include fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, eye pain, nausea and vomiting. There is usually no rash.

The tick that is found with great frequency in Columbia County is the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) commonly known as the deer tick. These ticks are very dark reddish-brown in color and considerably smaller than dog ticks. Nymphs are about the size of a poppy seed and adults are about the size of a sesame seed.

Adults may feed in fall or in warm weather, in winter and early spring. They have a two-year life cycle and overwinter in the soil or under leaf litter. Nymphs are active from May through September and are thought to be responsible for about 80% of all Lyme disease cases.

In addition to Lyme disease, deer ticks may also carry ehrlichiosis and babesiosis. Babesiosis is a malaria-like illness whose symptoms include fatigue and loss of appetite followed by fever, chills, sweats, headache and muscle aches. In severe cases there is anemia, jaundice and blood in the urine.

Ticks can be found in any outdoor location with vegetation, even your backyard. A pet can also carry them into your home. Ticks do not fly, jump or actively pursue people as in the case of mosquitoes and other insects. Instead, they attach themselves to people or animals brushing against them in the grass or shrubbery.

There are some precautions that will help you reduce the risk of a tick bite.

You should wear light-colored clothing so ticks are visible on your clothes.

Wear long pants tucked into socks and long sleeves to protect bare arms. Do not go barefoot or in sandals. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants can be very hot in the summer, but wearing them is justified is you are serious about keeping ticks off.

You can decrease the number of ticks that reach your skin by treating your body or clothing with a repellent. However, you must always follow application directions precisely as they appear on the label.

You should inspect your pets when they come in from the outside to make sure they are tick free. Also, you may use tick repellents recommended by your veterinarian on your pets.

Check your children and yourself frequently when outdoors. A complete check should be done after undressing at home, with careful attention paid to the areas of the groin, waistline, underarms, neck and scalp.

If you discover a tick attached to your skin, remove it promptly, preferably with fine tipped tweezers. Do not use bare fingers. Do not squeeze the tick, or apply vaseline or alcohol to it, as any of these methods may cause the tick to inject the Lyme disease bacteria into your skin.

Because research indicates that it may take as long as 36-48 hours for a tick to transmit Lyme disease, prompt and proper removal of any attached ticks will help prevent disease transmission. Ticks may be brought to the health department for identification or also to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia County.

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For more information about ticks or tick-borne disease, contact
the Columbia County Department of Health
at (518) 828-3358.