It’s not just Lyme disease, says Stephanie Carey
By: Jake Uitti
MONTGOMERY Township Health Officer Stephanie Carey has an important message for residents: get outdoors, maintain an active lifestyle and remember to take precautions against ticks.
People who spend a lot of time outdoors in tick-infested areas from April through October are at greater risk of becoming infected with diseases some ticks may transmit through their bite, Ms. Carey explained.
"People need to stay aware and informed," she said. "Know where ticks live and how to avoid or care for bites. Ticks rarely transmit a disease within 24 hours of the bite so checking and removal using a proper approach are important. Everyone has heard of Lyme but some other tick-borne diseases are not as commonly known. Watch for symptoms in the month after a bite."
The township Health Office offers these precautions:
Avoid where possible walking through tall grass or weeds, dense shrubs or leaf litter where ticks like to hide. If you do cross such areas, do a quick tick check.
Wear light-colored clothing when you go into the woods. Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants instead of shorts. Tuck pant legs into socks for added protection. Wash clothes shortly after such outdoors activities.
Use an insect repellent containing DEET or permethrin. Apply DEET sparingly to skin according to label directions. Put permethrin only on clothes never directly on skin.
Conduct a nightly "tick check" by carefully examining skin both body and scalp. An adult deer tick is about the size of a sesame seed and several deer tick nymphs would fit on the head of a pin. They seek out warm, protected areas to bite, such as between toes, backs of knees, groin and armpit areas, behind the ears and the top of the scalp. The good news, the Health Office said, is that one is not likely to get a tick-borne disease if the tick has been attached to your skin for less than 24 to 48 hours.
If a tick is found imbedded in the skin, don’t panic. Using a pair of tweezers, grasp the tick body as close to the skin as possible and gently remove. Remember that not all ticks carry diseases and not all tick bites transmit them.
Tick-borne diseases may take several weeks to develop. Note general medical condition and watch the area and the rest of the skin over the next month for a rash. If fever, headache, muscle pain or a rash develop in the month after a tick bite, see a doctor.
Ms. Carey explained a few of the diseases that can be transmitted by ticks.
Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease in the area, is caused by a bacterium carried by an infected deer or black-legged tick.
Ehrlichiosis, a newly recognized disease in the United States, with the first human case reported in 1986, is also caused by bacterium carried by deer ticks.
Babesiosis is an infection of the red blood cells with the parasite Babesia. Babesiosis is limited to those who live in, or have recently traveled to, the northeastern United States. Although anyone can get babesiosis, the disease most severely affects the elderly, immunocompomised individuals and those who have had their spleen removed. Babesiosis is spread by deer ticks.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an illness caused by infection with the bacterium rickettsia rickettsii. It is found more often in southern and western states.
"With summer weather, it’s time to go outside and enjoy our parks, natural areas and our own backyards safely," Ms. Carey added. Questions can be directed to the Montgomery Township Health Department at (908) 359-8211.