Latest news with #ticks
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Free tick kits amid rising tick-borne illnesses in Northeast Wisconsin
MANITOWOC / DOOR COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – As warmer weather draws people outdoors and along with them, ticks Manitowoc County Health Department is offering free tick–removal kits, while Door County warns of a concerning surge in tick–borne infections. The Manitowoc County Health Department is distributing complementary tick kits, which include: Illustrated guide 'How to Remove a Tick' Alcohol swab and adhesive bandage Disposable tweezers 30% DEET repellent wipe Sealable bag for storing ticks Residents can pick one up during regular hours at the Health Department in Manitowoc. Just over in Door County, public health officials report a recent uptick in anaplasmosis, a bacterial illness from tick bites with flu‑like symptoms. Last week alone, eight new cases emerged, including five hospitalization. City of Green Bay seeks community ideas for St. John's Park revamp Health officials with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommend simple prevention steps: Wear long, light‑colored clothing and tuck pants into socks. Apply EPA‑approved repellents like DEET or picaridin to both skin and clothing. Stick to groomed trails and avoid tall grass. After being outdoors, shower and thoroughly check for ticks, especially behind ears, in hairlines, under arms and knees, and around the waist. Remove attached ticks carefully using tweezers (no burning or smushing), then cleanse the area. Save the tick for identification if illness develops, and watch for symptoms like fever, rash, or fatigue within 30 days. Pick up a free tick kit in Manitowoc, prepare well before heading outdoors, and promptly remove any ticks found. If symptoms appear after a bite, consult your doctor, but don't panic. Early detection and antibiotic treatment usually lead to quick recovery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Viral Video of Deer Crawling with Ticks Is Nightmare Fuel. It's Also a Warning
A short video posted by Kip Adams, Chief Conservation Officer at the National Deer Association, has gone viral on social media, and for good reason. The clip shows a dead deer swarming with thousands of crawling ticks. But Adams says this skin-crawling video is more than just nightmare fuel. It's a warning. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kip Adams (@kipadams_nda) 'I've been a wildlife biologist for about 30 years,' Adams tells Outdoor Life. 'I've seen some crazy and cool stuff across the country. But I've never seen anything quite like that.' The deer was used as part of a necropsy session held on Sunday during an NDA Deer Steward class near Hanna, Oklahoma, on Muscogee (Creek) Nation land. The mature doe was harvested under a state-issued depredation permit and stored overnight in a cooler before being used for the class. When Adams laid it on the table the next morning, the ticks became horrifyingly visible. 'I looked down and couldn't believe the number of ticks. There were thousands of them. I pulled out my phone because I wanted to share it with my colleagues at work,' Adams says. 'I didn't expect it to blow up online like it did.' Some online commenters speculated that the crawling insects on the deer were 'keds' — a type of parasitic louse fly. Adams says those people are mistaken. 'Yes, there were a few louse flies. That's to be expected,' Adams says. 'But the vast majority of what you see in that video are ticks — mostly black-legged ticks and quite a few Lone Star ticks.' Read Next: I Got Alpha-Gal (The Tick-Borne Disease That's a Hunter's Worst Nightmare) Adams says the location had a lot to do with the number of ticks swarming the deer carcass. The animal came from an area of Oklahoma with dense vegetation and no recent prescribed fire, which can create a perfect storm for ticks. 'This region tends to produce deer with heavier parasite loads,' Adams says. 'But this was an extreme case, even for there.' Despite the grotesque scene, the doe was in surprisingly good health. Adams, who has aged thousands of jawbones, aged her as a mature doe, one that is at least 5 ½ years old. But she was probably older than that. 'Based on the amount of wear on the teeth, this deer was probably a lot closer to 10 years old than it was to five,' Adams says. 'All of the incisors in the front were completely worn away, and the premolars and molars in the back were slicked right down.' Although the doe was relatively old for a whitetail, Adams also noted that it was lactating, meaning it had successfully birthed a fawn earlier this summer. For adult deer, ticks are mostly an irritation. But for fawns, tick infestations can be fatal, especially in the first weeks of life. 'Young fawns don't move much. That's their survival mechanism,' Adams says. 'In areas that have lots of ticks, they will just cover the fawns. They'll be all around their eyes, nose, and mouth. In those cases, ticks can actually kill fawns.' Ticks Are Spreading Across the U.S. The video also highlights a growing concern that affects more than just deer: the increase of tick-borne disease in the U.S. Black-legged ticks — commonly called deer ticks — can transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially life-altering red meat allergy. And tick populations have expanded their range across the United States over the past several decades. 'I think part of it is that our climate is just warmer than it's been in the past,' Adams says. 'That has allowed ticks to move much farther north. They are also active for more of the year. Black-legged ticks, for example, can be active any time the temperature is above 32 degrees.' That expansion has had direct consequences for humans, with tick-borne illnesses on the rise across the country. The CDC estimates nearly half a million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year. 'This isn't just something that just impacts hunters,' he says. 'It impacts anybody who wants to go outside. Increased tick populations and the spread of tick-borne diseases impact all citizens of the U.S.' But there may be hope for controlling tick numbers — and it starts with fire. Read Next: Vampire Ticks Are Ravaging New England Moose. Hunting Could Help Ongoing research from Craig Harper at the University of Tennessee is exploring how prescribed burning can impact tick populations. Early findings suggest that fire could be an effective tool for reducing ticks, in addition to its known benefits for habitat and forage. 'It's encouraging,' Adams says. 'We're finally starting to get data that shows fire helps with ticks, too.' Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Doctor Mom discusses outdoor ailments and their treatment
Edmonton Watch From poison ivy to ticks to hot tub dangers, Dr. Stephanie Liu discusses common outdoor ailments and how to treat them.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Chicago area doctors expect more hospital visits from tick bites this summer
With all the rain lately in the Chicago area, hospital systems such as Northwestern Medicine reported an increase in patients getting sick from ticks. This comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the summer of 2025 is shaping up to be one of the worst tick seasons in years. Multiple doctors and experts say it is all due to climate change. CBS News Chicago reported on the warnings about ticks back in May and June. But now, it is becoming apparent that the increase in ticks and tick bites is corresponding to emergency room visits in Chicago and the rest of the Midwest. Rain and humidity are the perfect storm for pests like ticks to thrive. Dr. Alfredo Mena Lora of Saint Anthony Hospital said he, along with other doctors, anticipate seeing more patients this summer on account of ticks. "It's one of those things that we expect, especially as the warm months continue, and the exposure become more cumulative," sand Mena Lora. CDC data show in 2023, out of 100,000 emergency room visits in the Midwest, 51 patients were going in for tick bites. That number went up to 56 last year, and is now at 85 this year. The reasons behind it, doctors say, are environmental factors. "We are having milder winters, wetter springs, which means for longer tick breeding seasons. We're also seeing ticks move into geographic areas where we have not seen them before," said CBS News Medical Contributor Dr. Celine Gounder, "and all of this adds up to more tick exposure and more tick bites." Doctors say ticks transmit more viruses and diseases that any other member of the animal kingdom in the world — so this is a serious public health concern. People can get Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and a slew of other illnesses. "I think the main thing that patients and the public want to know is that if you've been bitten by a tick, it could carry a condition, and that condition is a typically a febrile condition," said Dr. Mena Lora, "so you may have fevers, you may have a rash, you may have joint pains." This year, 26 people in Cook County have already been diagnosed with Lyme disease. A total of 58 contracted the disease in Cook County last year. Dr. Mena Lora said while ticks can bite people in the city, they are more prevalent in the neighboring states of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, and in wooded areas. He reminded people to wear clothes that cover arms and legs, do a tick check, and take a shower upon arriving at home. Anyone who finds a tick should use tweezers to take it out. "If we protect ourselves and take all preventative measures, we can still enjoy our summer," said Dr. Mena Lora. CDC data show the Northwest is seeing vastly more emergency room visits for ticks than the Midwest. The Chicago Department of Public Health said while it has not seen an increase in Lyme disease cases, it does expect to see more emergency room visits this summer.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Surge of ticks in US Northeast sets off health concerns
STORY: In the woods an hour north of New York City, students are on high alert, not for bears or coyotes, but something much smaller: ticks, some the size of a sesame seed. They're dragging cloth through the terrain to collect the critters and hey're finding more arachnids than usual. Dr. Tom Daniels is the director of Fordham University's Louis Calder Center. 'It's been a really hot year for ticks. We're seeing numbers that are generally about 30 to 40% higher than we saw last year, for example.' The bulk of the students findings are blacklegged ticks, responsible for spreading Lyme disease. Other species included the American dog tick, which is linked to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and the invasive Asian longhorned tick. 'There's speculation, of course, that one of the reasons we're seeing more ticks, not just a number, but even a higher diversity, has to do with global warming. And that certainly is a factor. We're seeing ticks in areas that we hadn't seen them before. But the black legged tick numbers go up and down from one year to the next. And we don't always know why it is that that happens.' Scientists also point to a soaring deer population and people moving to more wooded areas. 'The wildlife is here, the ticks are here, and now we're here. And that raises our risk.' His lab also operates the Fordham Tick Index - tracking tick activity across the region. This summer it's consistently showing high risk for tick bites in the tri-state area: the region around southern New York, Connecticut and northern New Jersey. More tick bites means a greater risk for tick-borne illnesss like Lyme disease, which affects nearly half a million Americans annually, according to the CDC. Dr. Bruce Faber is an infectious disease physician. 'Only about three or 4% of ticks carry Lyme. Nevertheless, there's so many ticks and so many tick bites in certain areas. If you go hiking in the woods in the Northeast right now and you don't do anything to protect yourself, it would not be unusual to see that individual come back with five or ten ticks all over their body.' Experts are urging precautions like using tick repellents, wearing long sleeves and checking yourself and pets after activities outside.
