Oswego County Reminds People to be Aware of Ticks This Season

OSWEGO COUNTY – The arrival of summer means temperatures are warming and people are spending more time outdoors. The Oswego County Legislature welcomed its Public Health Director and Melissa Carr Rowe from CNY Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Alliance to remind residents to remember their precautions in preventing tick bites this season.

“Lyme disease and ticks should not be taken lightly,” said Oswego County Legislator Paul House, District 8, chairman of the Oswego County Legislature’s Health Committee. “I had a tick bite a few years ago. I got tested, had the tick tested, and thankfully, the results came back negative for Lyme disease. Still, it’s something we have to deal with in our environment, so I urge people – if you find a tick, bag it, send it to the lab for testing; and get yourself tested too.”

Oswego County Public Health Director Vera Dunsmoor said, “With thousands of cases reported each year, Lyme disease remains the most commonly reported vector-born disease in New York State. Especially here in Oswego County, people are at risk as seasonal tick activity rises and they enjoy a variety of outdoor activities in our vast wooded areas.”

Ticks love humid, wooded areas and die rapidly in dry and sunny environments. Common habitats include leaf litter in wooded areas, grassy areas along wooded edges, and low bushes and shrubs. They are not commonly found on athletic fields and cut lawns.

The following tips may help make backyards, parks and playgrounds more safe:

• Clear leaf litter, tall grass and brush around your home and the edges of your lawn.
• Wood chips restrict tick migration. Place them between your lawn 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.
• Situate playground equipment, patios and decks away from yard edges and trees.

Lyme disease is a serious bacterial infection that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks. Early signs include a rash and flu-like symptoms including fever, aches and fatigue. As the disease progresses, it affects multiple body systems and patients can suffer chronic pain, neurological impairment and other series symptoms.

The insect transmits disease in two life stages: nymph (immature) and adult. Nymph-stage ticks are active May through July, and adult ticks are active in the fall. While ticks are more prevalent over the summer season, the health department and the CNY Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Alliance work year-round to educate residents on tick-born disease prevention and provide protection resources.

“Prevention is key,” said Dunsmoor. “Use repellent and dress smart – wear light-colored, long sleeves and pants. Also, it’s crucial to do daily tick checks on yourself and your pets and remove any ticks you find as soon as possible. Early detection and prompt treatment are essential in preventing long-term health complications and improving outcomes for those affected.”

The federal Centers for Dosease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends people take these steps to help prevent Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases:

• Wear insect repellent. Follow product instructions and apply Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellentscontaining DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone before you go out.
• Treat clothing and gearwith products containing 0.5% permethrin.
• Avoid tall grasses and bushy, wooded areas.
• Check yourself, children and dogs for ticks after returning from outdoor activities.
• Shower soon after being outdoors.
• Call your doctor if you get a fever or rash.

Be sure to check for ticks daily. The longer a tick is attached, the higher the risk of getting Lyme disease. Tick checks should be performed in two ways: visual inspections for nymph and adult ticks, and physical inspections or feeling for ticks because they are tiny. By feeling for ticks, you may discover them in 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 close attention to these parts of your and your child’s body: 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 whenever they’ve been outdoors and educate them not to try and remove ticks by themselves.

To check your pets for ticks, be sure to look 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 you have a dog vaccinated against Lyme disease, you still need to do tick checks because ticks on the dog can attach to a new host – you, other family members or pets.

If you find a tick attached, use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, then perpendicularly pull it away from the skin, wash the area with soap, and apply topical antiseptic. The state Department of Health developed a video to show how to remove a tick on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGrK4ZKUfhQ.

If you want to get a tick you removed tested, go to https://nyticks.org/ to find out how to submit the tick to the lab. Testing is free of charge, you need only 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.

For more information on Lyme disease, tick bite prevention and other resources, go to cny alliance.org, http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/lyme/fact_sheet.htm, or www.cdc.gov/lyme.

The Legislature’s Health Committee oversees the Health Department. In addition to Legislator House, committee members include Vice Chairman Roy E. Reehil, District 5; Gena Bartlett, District 24; Dorothy Caldwell, District 17; Richard Kline, District 12; Michael Solowy, District 23; and Lee B. Walker, Jr., District 15.