The warm North Carolina summer is perfect for a host of outdoor family activities.
It’s also perfect for a certain eight-legged parasite to picnic on your pets, or even on you.
“If you do find a tick on yourself,” says Michael Waldvogel, a professor at N.C. State University who specializes in insect control, “use tweezers to remove it by gently tugging. Don't yank it. Apply an antiseptic to the area.”
Waldvogel recommends prompt removal of ticks, but don’t stop there.
“Mark the date on your calendar,” he continued. “If you develop any flu-like symptoms, muscle aches, rashes around the tick bite, etc. within about 14 days, go see your doctor and tell him or her about the tick bite.”
Veterinarian Alan Anton of Healthy Petz said checking pets daily is a good idea, because any time a dog goes for a walk it could be exposed to ticks.
If you feel you are seeing a lot of ticks on your animal, Anton said your property may have a tick infestation. He recommends people treat their yards with an anti-tick insecticide or treat their dogs with a tick preventative.
Newer products typically work better, he said, and are generally less harmful to the environment.
Ticks can transmit a number of illnesses, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, so Anton recommends people watch carefully for symptoms following tick bites.
“It takes a while for the disease to show up (in animals,)” he said.
Waldvogel gave these tips for when you venture outdoors:
» Stay out of weedy, overgrown areas where ticks are typically more abundant. If you're hiking, stick to the cleared parts of hiking trails.
» Keep your yard trimmed back so you don't create ideal habitats for ticks.
» When working in your garden, tuck your pant legs into your socks and apply repellent to that part of your socks and lower pants legs.
» After hiking or gardening, take the time to check yourself over carefully for ticks. The sooner you find them, the less likely that they have “settled down to eat.”
Are there more ticks this season, as some people claim?
The Burke County Health Department has never tracked the parasites, and North Carolina’s 2011-12 state budget eliminated the state agency that used to track ticks and mosquitoes, the N.C. Public Health Pest Management.
“I think it's a tremendous loss,” Waldvogel said, “since they took the lead on tracking pests like ticks and mosquitoes, including noting species that weren't found here previously. They were also conducting important studies as well as leading training efforts and assistance to counties and municipalities that were setting up or maintaining vector control programs to protect their citizens.”
The professor said people can keep a lookout themselves for conditions that support tick infestations. The number of ticks is generally linked to rainfall and the number of potential “hosts,” both wild and domestic animals. The more rain and the more animals near your home, the more likely it is you will have ticks.
The best indicator available now is how many people, or animals, go to a physician or veterinarian.
Anton says he’s seen no uptick in his office of tick bites or tick-borne diseases. Neither has the Blue Ridge HealthCare System, according to hospital spokesperson Anna Wilson.
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