Is it a bad year for Tick?It depends on where you live

Every spring and summer, people across the United States begin to hypothesize whether the year will bring about a particularly bad mite season.

“Frequently asked” Dr. Thomas Mother, A professor of public health entomology at the University of Rhode Island, told Verywell.Also serves as the president of the university TickEncounter Resource Center..

When people ask if the tick season looks bad in a particular year, they answer by asking which tick they are talking about and where they are.

“Now it’s a year of raging dog bear ticks across the United States,” says Mother.Black-footed tick (deer tick or Ixodes Scaparis) — Carrying the causative bacteria Lyme disease And other pathogens — this year has already begun to increase.

However, Mather says this year’s deer ticks aren’t worse than usual. However, stable numbers are not always good news. “It’s usually a bad thing,” says Mother. “Usually equivalent to 406,000 news cases. Lyme disease Every year. ”

Change in risk due to ticks

Although some species of ticks can spread the disease to humans, not all ticks carry and transmit the same disease, says Mather.

Risk of tick disease

Different types of ticks can spread through different tick-borne diseases. One of the ticks that has received a lot of attention and is worried is the black-footed tick. Mother said:

• Carries only about 25% of black-footed mites Borrelia Burgdolferi —Causative bacteria Lyme diseaseOn the west coast, about 5% of western black-footed mites carry Lyme disease.
• About 5% to 8% of black-footed ticks can transmit anaplasmosis.
• About 5% to 10% of black-footed ticks infect Babesiosis.

Regional risk

The risk of developing tick-borne disease depends on the region of the United States where people live or happen to spend time outside.(Even if tick species move to new areas, tick behavior changes in ways that can limit the transmission of the disease.

For example, in the south, black-footed mites live deep in the fallen leaves on the floor, making them less likely to ride on the shoes and clothing of human hikers.

According to ticks, ticks (Kirara tick) (Named after the white spots on the back) extends from the southern Midwest to Rhode Island and Massachusetts. When bitten by ticks, not only are some diseases transmitted, but they are also associated with the development of severe allergies to lean meat.((

Overall, climate change plays a small role in how ticks are spread throughout the country, Mather says. But more importantly, the increasing population of white-tailed deer, the main host of mites, continues to be one of the main drivers. White-tailed deer are widely distributed in the United States and are also found in areas adjacent to urban areas.((

How to protect yourself from ticks

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you don’t have to go out to the forest to pick up mites.(By spending time in your own garden, you can get intimate with them. In general, ticks live in grassy, ​​overgrown, or wooded areas. Contact from pets is also possible.((

Tick ​​prevention

The best way to avoid tick-borne diseases is to avoid getting infected with ticks.(There are several steps you can take to keep yourself and your pet safe.

• Use a tick repellent. Spray your clothing with a product containing 0.5% permethrin before spending time hiking, walking, mowing, or gardening.
• A dress that protects you. If you spend your time outdoors, especially in wooded areas or tall grass areas, wear clothing that covers your arms and legs. It also helps to put socks on the legs of the pants to prevent mites from invading the shoes. You can also use permethrin for clothing or buy pre-treated apparel.
• Keep your garden clean. In natural parks and hiking trails, long grass and overgrown areas may not be avoided, but your backyard is not attractive to mites, by cutting, removing foliage, debris, old furniture and other debris. What they want to live in, which makes them unattractive to ticks.
• Regular tick checks for you and your family. After you go out, check for ticks even in the garden. Look carefully at spots that you may not normally inspect, such as underarms, in and around your ears, around your hairline, around your hips, and between your legs. It is also effective to take a shower after entering from gardening or hiking.
• Check your pet. Pets can take flea and tick prophylaxis, but these treatments are not always certain.(When you go out with your pet, keep your pet away from lawns and wooded areas. If you are on the trail, keep them in the center or in the mowed area. Check for pet mites after a walk or a walk in the garden. With the tick comb, you can see through the thick coat.

What to do if you find a tick

You may want to remove the ticks from your skin immediately, but remove them carefully. For best removal, the CDC recommends the following:((

• Use fine-tipped tweezers to grab the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible.
• Pull up with stable and uniform pressure. Do not twist or twist the ticks.This can cause the mouth to break and remain on the skin
• After removing the mites, wipe the affected area and hands thoroughly with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

Once you have removed the ticks, you can usually look at them and understand them. What tick is. However, depending on the stage of development, it can be difficult to identify correctly.((

If you’re not sure, state public health services, local universities, and medical facilities often offer tick identification services.(The TickEncounter site also allows you to send a photo of the tick for identification. If you find a tick in yourself or your family, you can determine the risk of getting sick by identifying the type of tick.

Most people are worried that all ticks will develop Lyme disease, but most of the ticks found between May and early summer are the American dog ticks (American dog ticks).Dermacentor variabilis) — Does not transmit Lyme disease.

“I want people to’know your ticks and know your illness,’” says Mather.