Health District Warns—

Stealthy Tick Nymphs Are At The Height Of Activity Now

By John Voket

Working with the other health departments in our area, the Newtown Health District recently adopted and slightly revised its campaign to educate residents about the dangers of tick contact and tick-borne diseases. The campaign, dubbed “BLAST,” was originally developed in the region by the Ridgefield Health Department to identify five important things individuals and their families can do to stay safe from tick-related diseases.

Newtown Health District Director Donna Culbert believes it is most important to “be aware” of the risks of tick-borne disease.

“Everyone should understand that we live in an area where Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are widespread,” Ms Culbert told The Newtown Bee. “The good news is that there are some things we can do to protect ourselves. We need to be aware of how the disease is transmitted, what to look for, how to minimize contact with ticks, and what steps to take if you suspect you have become infected. Education and awareness will greatly improve your ability to prevent tick-borne disease.”

Besides the “B” in BLAST standing for “be aware,” the “B” also reminds residents about “bathing” soon after spending time outdoors. A recent study showed that people who bathed or showered within two hours of coming indoors did not contract Lyme disease as frequently as those who did not bathe or shower soon.

The “L” reminds everyone to “look” their bodies over for ticks daily and remove them properly.

“Speedy removal helps avoid disease transmission,” Ms Culbert said. “Remove ticks carefully by their mouth parts with a tweezers and save them in a plastic bag for identification. Contact your local health department for tick-testing policies and notify your physician if you have any concerns.”

The “L” also reminds us to “look” for expanding rashes and reported them to your physician in a timely manner. The painless erythema migrans rash sometimes seen with Lyme disease can often go unnoticed and will eventually disappear while the infection remains. Other early symptoms include fatigue, headache, fever and achy muscles and joints.

The “A” encourages you to “avoid” ticks when possible, and to become educated about repellants and “apply appropriately.” Know where ticks live and avoid those areas: ticks do not like sunny, dry areas; they like shade, shelter, and moisture. Ticks can be found in leaf litter, shaded gardens, weeds, tall grass, shrubs, low trees, and ground cover like pachysandra.

“Dress properly when entering potentially tick-infested areas: wear long pants that are light-colored to allow easy identification of ticks,” Ms Culbert instructed. “Tuck your pant legs into socks and shirt into pants; tape pant legs and wear long sleeves when working near the ground; cover hair with a hat; tie long hair back; and apply repellent.”

Ms Culbert said studies have proven that applying 30–40 percent DEET-based repellant to skin is effective at repelling blacklegged (deer) ticks. Application of 0.5 percent permethrin-based insecticide to clothing is highly effective at repelling and even killing ticks.

Clothing treated with permethrin can be washed several times and still retains its repellant properties. The use of repellants, while proven effective, is a personal decision. For more information on tick repellants, visit the National Pesticide Information Center’s website.

The “S” stands for “safeguarding” your yard to reduce your possible tick exposure. And “spraying” the yard can reduce tick abundance.

“Homeowners should consider the benefits of applying pesticide to the perimeter of their yards,” Ms Culbert said. “Studies have shown that even one application of pesticide at the right time of year and in the best location can reduce blacklegged tick populations by 85–90 percent.”

Deer play an important role in the tick’s lifecycle, often serving as the third and final blood meal. Deer should be discouraged from migrating into your yard by using deer-resistant plantings, and residents should not feed deer.

The Health District has an informative brochure that can guide homeowners with making changes in their yards, Ms Culbert said.

The “T” reminds everyone about “treatment.” In general, people who begin medical treatment soon after becoming infected have a quicker and more complete recovery from Lyme and other tick-borne disease.

“Learning to recognize the symptoms and receiving early medical treatment will help to prevent more serious illness,” Ms Culbert said. “Erythema migrans is a rash and can be the first symptom of Lyme disease. The telltale rash starts as a small red spot at the site of the bite and gets larger over a period of days or weeks and forms a red rash shaped like a circle or oval. Not everyone gets or sees the rash.”

Other symptoms can include fever, headache, stiff neck, body aches, and tiredness. Although these symptoms may be like those of common viral infections such as the flu, Lyme disease symptoms tend to continue longer or may come and go.

Lyme disease can also affect one’s nervous system, causing symptoms such as stiff neck, severe headache (meningitis), temporary paralysis of the facial muscles (Bell’s palsy), numbness, pain or weakness in the limbs and poor muscle movement. Other more serious long-term affects may include memory loss, difficulty with concentration, and change in mood or sleep habits.

Less commonly, people who have not taken antibiotics may develop heart or other problems weeks, months, or even years after they were infected with Lyme bacteria. Receiving early medical treatment is the key to preventing long term health effects.

It is also important to “treat” your pets. Local veterinarians offer a variety of methods for protecting animals from tick-borne diseases. Dogs and cats increase one’s chances of exposure to tick-borne disease because pets can carry ticks in to the home on their fur.

“Pet owners should be cautious about sleeping with their pets,” Ms Culbert said.

For additional information on the BLAST Tick-Borne Disease prevention program, contact Donna Culbert at the Newtown Health District. Phone 203-270-4291 or email donna.culbert@newtown-ct.gov

Is Your Home Tick Safe?

Did You Know…?

1. Ticks are not insects, but are arthropods more closely related to mites, spiders, scorpions, and Harvestmen (“daddy longlegs”)

2. Blacklegged tick is the correct common name for the tick popularly known as the “deer” tick (the terms are not used together, it is not called the blacklegged deer tick). This tick transmits the causal agents of three diseases; Lyme disease, human babesiosis, and human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA).

3. Ticks have four stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. The nymph is the stage most likely to infect a human — larva are not yet infected when seeking their meal and the adult is somewhat easier to detect. The nymph is tiny and extremely difficult to detect.

4. May, June, and July are peak months for nymphal tick activity in the Northeast.

5. Ticks cannot fly or jump; they must make direct contact with a host.

6. The term “tick bite” may be misleading as ticks do not bite and depart or feed rapidly like a mosquito. Ticks attach and feed gradually over a period of several to many days. Once a tick has found a suitable place to feed, it grasps the skin, tilts the body at an angle, and begins to cut into the skin. After the tick has penetrated the skin, the attachment becomes encased in “cement” secreted by the tick. The cement serves to hold the mouthparts in place while the tick feeds.

7. The engorged female deer tick may typically lay around 2,000–3,000 eggs.

8. Female blacklegged ticks become fairly large when engorged with blood and, consequently, are sometimes confused with engorged female American dog ticks. Do not casually dismiss the presence of a tick.

Additional safeguards include creating a “Tick Safe Zone” in which homeowners manage their yard to make it less hospitable to ticks, by doing the following: remove leaf litter and clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edges of lawns; place wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration to recreational areas; mow the lawn and clear brush and leaf litter frequently; keep the ground under bird feeders clean; stack wood neatly and in dry areas; and keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees.

Complete information on tick management is available at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station website, www.ct.gov/case.