Ticks increase in number, greater chance of disease
Worrying about the bites of mosquitoes is not the only insect locals should be concerned about.
Warmer temperatures combined with tall wet grass and wooded areas, are the perfect breeding grounds for ticks that are increasing in number, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ticks that live in moist and humid environments, are carriers of some severe diseases and the rise in numbers means an increase in the number of human infections, such as Lyme disease, after being bit.
Andrea Keller, Pulaski County Health Nurse, is hoping that with more information about tick bites, locals will be better prepared to prevent a bite.
“I receive communicable disease reports for our county and I am seeing an increase in Lyme disease cases — more than usual for this time of year,” she said.
The number of black-legged ticks that carry Lyme disease are more common in the fall but statistics are proving the biting buggers are active now.
Ticks can also carry several different diseases including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, southern tick-associated rash illness, tick-borne relapsing fever, tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Once a person finds an attached tick they should remove it by grasping it with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and pulling it straight out. Do not twist or jerk the tick. If parts of the tick’s mouth break off and stay in the skin, remove the mouth parts with tweezers if possible. Clean the bite and hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
A person should consult a doctor if a fever, rash, severe fatigue, facial paralysis or joint pain develop within 30 days of the being bitten by a tick. One key sign of Lyme disease is a bull’s eye rash around the bite.
Delaying treatment could cause a person to experience severe arthritis and problems with nerves, spinal cord, brain or heart. Doctors will prescribe specific antibiotics for two to three weeks.
Ways to reduce the chance of a tick bite include wearing knee-high rubber boots, tucking in pant legs with socks, wearing light colored clothing and using insecticidal sprays.
Regularly removing leaf litter and clearing tall grasses and brush around homes and using wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to keep ticks away from play areas, playgrounds and porches are recommended tips to reduce the number of ticks.
Property owners can also consider using a chemical control agent that is applied by a professional pest control expert. Also discourage deer from entering the yard by constructing physical barriers and removing plants that attract deers.