Warm weather brings out ticks. In Virginia, the lone star tick and the blacklegged tick give us the most reason to worry as they are everywhere and carry diseases that can make people sick. Ticks can be found anywhere there is vegetation, whether in a city park, a country field, or even your backyard, especially if where you live is near a wooded area where deer roam.
Both the lone star and the blacklegged tick can spread multiple diseases. Deer are a main source of blood meals for adult ticks of both species, and deer populations are plentiful in and around many suburban forests. If deer wander in and out of your backyard, they likely bring ticks with them.
Shelton
Blacklegged ticks are best known for spreading Lyme disease, believed to be the most common tick-borne disease in the United States. States collectively report about 30,000 Lyme disease cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year. In 2019, Virginia reported 1,199 Lyme disease cases to the CDC. Case numbers for many states, Virginia included, dropped during 2020 and 2021, affected by the pandemic and incomplete reporting. Researchers analyzing insurance claims estimate that 300,000 to 476,000 people are treated for Lyme disease each year in the United States.
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Gaines
Lone star ticks transmit ehrlichiosis, an illness caused by bacteria. A lone star tick bite can also trigger a red-meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome. New reports from the CDC suggest alpha-gal cases may be increasing.
Lone star ticks are also implicated in the transmission of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), which can also be spread by other ticks. RMSF can be deadly if not caught and treated early. A telltale splotchy or pinpoint dot rash may not show up until the disease is further along. Hence, it’s important to be alert for other symptoms, such as fever, headache, nausea, chills, tiredness, and aches and pains. Other symptoms of tick bites to look out for include a bull’s-eye rash in Lyme disease and a similar spreading red rash for a tick-borne illness called Southern tick-associated rash illness. Not every tick bite will make you sick. See a health care provider if you develop symptoms.
For more information on tickes
New tickborne illnesses are being identified. The Heartland virus, another illness spread by the lone star tick, was discovered in 2009 in Missouri. It has since been detected in multiple other states. Virginia reported its first case in 2021.
For surveillance, VDH staff regularly do seasonal “tick drags” in which light-colored cloths are passed over grassy and leafy areas to collect ticks that grab on. The collected ticks are identified by species and sent to the CDC or academic partners to test for diseases.
Citizen science like the Virginia Tick Survey, offers to identify ticks found attached to people to inform individuals of the diseases they could have been exposed to if the tick was carrying disease.
Legislation passed by the General Assembly this year directed the Virginia Department of Health to convene a tick-borne disease workgroup focused on preventing the occurrence and impact of tick-borne diseases. Workgroup members represent clinicians, academics, public health experts, other state agencies, and other groups. A report is due to the General Assembly in November.
How do you prevent tick bites?
Wear light-colored clothing when going into areas where ticks are likely to be, whether your backyard or a hiking trail. Permethrin spray, which you can buy at retailers, is an insect repellant and insecticide applied to clothing and shoes and lasts through several washes. Follow package instructions. For maximum protection, tuck your treated pants into your treated socks. This makes it so that the tick must crawl on your pants, which you can spot, but it also ensures it gets a dose of permethrin.
Apply an insect repellant with DEET to uncovered skin when outdoors, or if you are allergic to DEET, other repellants such as picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus can be used.
Once inside, do a tick check. Check your body, clothing, equipment, and pets. Take a shower. The longer a tick is attached to you, the greater the risk for disease transmission. Remove them by using tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and slowly and firmly pull straight out.
Enjoy the outdoors and be safe!
Karen Shelton, MD, is the State Health Commissioner for Virginia. Dr. David Gaines is State Public Health Entomologist with the Virginia Department of Health.
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