OSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County Public Health Department received a report from the New York State Department of Health yesterday that the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis was found in a county resident recently. This is the first such case reported in Oswego County.
Anaplasmosis is caused by the bacterium ‘Anaplasma phagocytophilum’ and is primarily spread to people by the bite of an infected deer (black-legged) tick. This is one of the three most common ticks in New York state and the same tick that spreads Lyme disease.
“The increased cases of Lyme disease and the first case of anaplasmosis illustrates the importance of preventing tick bites,” said Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang. “Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are on the rise, so county residents need to be proactive and protect themselves.”
The Oswego County Health Department received a record number of Lyme disease case reports in 2019.
Signs of anaplasmosis typically begin within one to two weeks after the bite of an infected tick. Because tick bites are usually painless, many people do not remember being bitten.
Early symptoms (one to five days) are usually mild or moderate. They may include fever, chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. If treatment is delayed or if there are other medical conditions present, anaplasmosis can cause severe (late stage) illness such as respiratory failure, bleeding problems, organ failure and, rarely, death.
“Prompt treatment can reduce your risk of developing severe illness,” said Huang. “See your health care provider if you become ill after being bit by a tick or if you’ve been in the woods or other areas with high brush where ticks commonly live.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends people take these steps to help prevent Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases:
- Wear repellent. Apply Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone, and follow the product instructions for application before you go out.
- Avoid tall grasses and bushy, wooded areas when you are out.
- Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin.
- Check for ticks daily. Check yourself, your children, and your pets after returning from outdoor activities. The longer a tick is attached, the higher the risk of getting Lyme disease or other tick-borne illnesses.
- Shower soon after being outdoors.
- Call your doctor if you get a fever or rash.
The CDC recommends checking for ticks in two ways: visual inspections or feeling for them. In a visual inspection, look for both nymph and adult ticks. Because ticks are tiny, feeling for them helps you discover those that are on hidden areas such as behind your knee or in your armpit where you wouldn’t be able to see them easily.
To conduct a full body check, pay particular attention to these parts of your or your child’s body as you’re looking for ticks: under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, back of the knees, in and around the hair, between the legs and around the waist.
Parents should check their children carefully whenever they’ve been outdoors. Also, parents need to educate children not to remove ticks by themselves.
To check your pets for ticks, don’t forget to check in and around the ears, around the eyelids, under the collar, around the tail, under the front legs, between the back legs and between the toes. If your dog is vaccinated against Lyme disease, you still need to do tick checks because ticks on the dog can attach to a new host, such as you, your family members or other pets.
If you find a tick attached, you need to use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, then pull straight up from the skin, wash the area with soap and apply topical antiseptic. The state Department of Health created a video to show how to remove a tick on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGrK4ZKUfhQ.
If you want to get the tick you caught tested, go to www.nyticks.org to find out how to submit the tick to the lab. Testing is free of charge; you only need to pay for the postage. Follow the instructions on the website to pack and mail the tick to the lab. Results will be shared with the submitter via email.
Ticks love humid, wooded areas and die rapidly in dry and sunny environments. The following tips from the CDC may help make backyards, parks and playgrounds tick-safe zones:
- Clear all leaf litter, tall grasses and brush around your home and the edges of your lawn.
- Wood chips restrict tick migration. Place them between your lawns and wooded areas.
- Mow your lawn regularly. Clear brush and leaf litter often.
- If you have a bird feeder, keep the area below it clean.
- Make sure wood is neatly stacked in dry areas.
- Place playground equipment, patios and decks away from yard edges and trees.
For more information about protecting your family against ticks, visit the New York State Department of Health website at https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/pests/tick.htm.
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