State Urges: Summer is Time for Ticks; Check Self and Pets Often

The Pa. Department of Health has reminded Pennsylvanians that tick-borne diseases are present across the state, encouraged residents to seek treatment if they have been bitten by a tick and provided tips to prevent tick bites from occurring.

There are simple ways to reduce their chances of being bitten by ticks:

• Cover exposed skin with lightweight and light-colored clothing

• Avoid tick-infested habitats such as areas dense with shrubbery or tall grass

• Use an EPA-approved insect repellent

• Once returning home, immediately check yourself, children, and pets for ticks

• Take a shower immediately to remove ticks that may be crawling on skin

• If possible, dry clothing and gear in a dryer to kill any ticks

Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are the most common carrier of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and Powassan virus. Ticks typically thrive in tall grass, brush and wooded areas, but deer ticks have been found in every county in the commonwealth and can live in any habitat.

Common signs of a tick disease include fever, headache, chills and muscle aches.

Lyme disease is often characterized by a bullseye-like rash, although Lyme disease may not always present itself with this obvious sign.

Additional symptoms for Powassan virus may include vomiting, weakness, confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking, or even seizures in severe cases.

While transmission for Lyme disease from tick to human takes approximately 24 hours or more, Powassan transmission from a tick bite can happen in as little as 15 minutes. If you have symptoms that are consistent with a tick-borne disease, it is important to speak to a doctor immediately.

Ticks are most likely to infect humans during the late spring and summer but can also infect humans year-round.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell said that the Pennsylvania Tick Surveillance and Testing Program has completed all collections and testing from the adult blacklegged tick survey that began last October.

More than 3,000 ticks were individually tested for four human pathogens including Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease.

Also tested for were Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti and the deer tick virus (Powassan virus lineage II).

More than half of the ticks tested were infected with Lyme disease.

The results are as follows detailing the infection rates in the ticks:

• Lyme 58 percent;

• Anaplasma 12 percent;

• Babesia 3.7 percent; and

• Deer tick virus 0.6 percent.

These results are consistent with findings from previous surveys, according to state officials.