# 6247
While not greeted as warmly as the first robin of spring - in another sign of the change of seasons - this weekend after a trek in the woods I found my first tick of spring crawling up my pants leg.
With a near absence of winter this year across much of the southeast, insects – including disease vectoring ticks and mosquitoes – appear to be getting an earlier start this spring.
As you can see by the chart below, in the nymph stage, ticks are not much larger than a spec of dirt. Tenacious hangers on to the skin, they can be easily missed when bathing.
And the problem isn’t limited to the deep south.
A couple of weeks ago, Maryn McKenna – reporting from the ICEID conference, wrote about concerns over the upcoming Lyme season in the Northeast:
Acorns And Mice Driving Unusual Lyme Disease Risks (ICEID 2)
And even in the UK, the HPA has issued warnings about the upcoming `tick season’.
HPA advises public to be 'tick aware' to reduce the risk of Lyme disease
27 March 2012
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is reminding people to be ‘tick aware’ this year and take sensible precautions to reduce their risk of Lyme disease, as Tick Bite Prevention Week (26 March – 1 April) begins.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection which is transmitted by tick bites. Ticks are tiny spider-like creatures which can be found in forests, woodland, heaths, moorland areas and in suburban parkland. Most ticks do not carry the infection but any area in which ticks are present should be regarded as potential risk areas for acquiring Lyme disease. Late spring, early summer and autumn are peak times for tick bites and coincide with people venturing into the great outdoors in the warmer weather.
There were 905 laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease reported to the HPA in England and Wales in 2010. The majority of cases (741) were acquired in the UK rather than overseas, with 86 per cent of these (637) identified among residents in the south of England (the South West, South East and London).
However, not all cases of Lyme disease are confirmed by laboratory testing and, as in previous years, the overall number of Lyme disease cases in England and Wales is estimated at between 2,000 and 3,000 cases a year. Incidence of Lyme disease acquired in England and Wales remains low compared to in some other European countries or in North America.
The CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD) recommends taking the following steps to prevent tick borne infections:
Preventing Tick Bites
While it is a good idea to take preventive measures against ticks year-round, be extra vigilant in warmer months (April-September) when ticks are most active.
Avoid Direct Contact with Ticks
- Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
- Walk in the center of trails.
Repel Ticks with DEET or Permethrin
- Use repellents that contain 20% or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) on the exposed skin for protection that lasts up to several hours. Always follow product instructions. Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding hands, eyes, and mouth.
- Use products that contain permethrin on clothing. Treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents. It remains protective through several washings. Pre-treated clothing is available and remains protective for up to 70 washings.
- Other repellents registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may be found at http://cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/insect/.
Find and Remove Ticks from Your Body
- Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are crawling on you.
- Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon return from tick-infested areas. Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.
- Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and day packs. Tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for an hour to kill remaining ticks.
With more than 20,000 new cases of Lyme disease reported each year, and undoubtedly many others that go unreported or undiagnosed, Lyme is one of the fastest growing emerging infectious diseases in the country.
But Lyme is not the only tick-borne illness to be aware of. Others include:
- Anaplasmosis
- Babesiosis
- Ehrlichiosis
- Lyme disease
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Other spotted fevers
- Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness
- Other tickborne diseases
All of which illustrates the need to become more aware of the threat posed by these vicious vectors, and proactive in preventing them from passing on their diseases to you and your family.
