Monitor the tick bite area for any changesĪlthough it may sound odd, providers and researchers highly suggested you save the tick that bit you in a plastic bag or a small jar with rubbing alcohol.Gently remove the tick using a fine pair of tweezers.If you see a tick on your body or on someone else you’re with, stay calm. What should I do if I find a tick on my body or someone else’s? Other tick-borne illnesses can include ehrlichiosis passed by the Lone Star Tick, Rocky Mountain spotted fever passed by both the American Dog Tick and Rocky Mountain Wood Tick, and Powassan virus disease transmitted by the Groundhog Tick. In order to fully transmit Lyme disease inside of a human’s or animal’s body, it must feed for at least two to three days, but other infections, like the Powassan virus disease, can transmit within a few hours. The specific ticks responsible for carrying Lyme disease are known as the Backlegged tick or Deer tick across the East Coast and the Western Blacklegged tick on the West Coast. That’s because a low percentage of ticks are actually carrying any disease. While there are several different types of ticks that each carry a different disease, the chances of contracting a tick-borne infection is relatively low. Although ticks are active all year long, Virginia’s peak months of tick season are in June and July. In Virginia, about 15% of ticks carry Lyme disease. How many ticks carry Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses? Marconi, who is internationally known for his research on vaccines for tick-borne illnesses, shared tips with VCU Health News for our Summer Safety Series on how to TICK all of the boxes on our safety checklist. So I expect that this year it's gonna be rather robust,” Marconi said. “When we have mild winters like the one that we just did in Virginia, the tick population tends to explode. Marconi, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine.Ī wide variety of things can affect the size of the tick population, including the weather and how many small mammals there are in a wooded area. Ticks are a great concern for several reasons, and they're an increasing concern because their population is spreading quite rapidly,” said Richard T. These parasitic arachnids - relatives of spiders, scorpions and mites - need to feed on blood to survive and can spread illnesses to humans and animals.“ They make their homes in wooded areas with lots of shrubs, tall grasses, weeds, woodpiles and even bird feeders. Virginia is one of more than a dozen states with significantly high cases of Lyme disease in the United States.Ticks are carriers of this disease. Health experts are urging outdoor enthusiasts to be extra vigilant this summer because of a small critter with a powerful bite.
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