Latest news with #tickseason
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Tick bites are nearly double already this year. Will this summer be the worst yet?
Peak tick season is approaching across the U.S and researchers are expecting this summer to be particularly brutal. But, is it the worst ever? University of Rhode Island entomologist Dr. Thomas 'The TickGuy' Mathers told The Independent that it's too early to call it but the numbers are looking worrying — he's received more submissions of nymphal blacklegged ticks, which carry Lyme disease, to the university's TickSpotters platform so far this month than the weekly average for the same period over the last decade. 'I don't know the answer just yet, if it's a trend going up – but I suspect it is, just based on the number of nymphal blacklegged ticks I've seen in the past couple of weeks,' he explained. Mathers noted that federal data shows emergency room visits related to ticks are up this year, with visits nearly doubling from 70 in April, to 131 in May. Other researchers who also count ticks are noticing a significant jump in specimens. Dr. Saravanan Thangamani, a professor at New York's SUNY Upstate Medical University who runs the Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory, has warned that more ticks are being sent to the lab than at the same time last year, marking a 217 percent increase. 'Based on the trend in tick submission I have observed thus far, I expect a tick season that is worse than the previous years,' he cautioned. But, Rutgers University professor and entomologist Dina Fonseca is not ready to make that call quite yet. She's a part of the submission project called New Jersey Ticks 4 Science! She said people say it's the worst year for ticks every year, noting there's no standardized tick surveillance. They're seeing more submissions, as well, but they don't know if it's just because more people are reporting them. 'Frankly, we don't have enough data over time to be able to say, 'Is it a worse year than normal or a better year than normal?' We don't know,' explained Fonseca. What threats do US ticks pose? Whatever the case may be, the heightened activity between June and July leaves Americans exposed to 90 species of ticks and the diseases they can carry. Although ticks are on both coasts, they're largely found in the eastern U.S. Some, like brown dog ticks and blacklegged ticks, are located more widely. Not being prepared for ticks while doing outside activities and camping could carry a death sentence — although that's an extremely rare outcome. People bitten by ticks may be exposed to Powassan virus, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Tularemia, Lyme disease, and other pathogens that can cause human disease. People can be affected by multiple diseases at once. The nymphal blacklegged ticks are the ones Fonseca says people really need to worry about, as they can be infected with four different disease agents. That includes Lyme disease, which may lead to facial paralysis and irregular heartbeat if untreated. Although larger than larval ticks, nymphal ticks are only the size of a poppy seed. They may be hard to spot – even for people who are aware of their region's ticks and where they live. 'Look at the bowtie of Lincoln on a penny; that's the size of a nymphal blacklegged tick, Fonseca said. Exposure and prevention While it's easy to miss ticks, it can take about two days for any transmission to occur after a bite. People who find ticks on their skin should remove them with tweezers as soon as possible. Those who develop a rash or fever after removal should consult a doctor. As far as prevention goes, knowledge is power. Reducing exposure is the best way to avoid negative health outcomes. Mather advises that people follow what he calls the 'three Ts.' Wear tight clothing, tuck in shirts and pants legs, and wear clothes treated with 0.5 percent permethrin repellent. 'If you don't apply repellent, they can be ruthless,' Fonseca said, recalling a time when she picked 30-to-40 ticks out of her hair. Mathers remembers a trip to Fire Island that resulted in the exposure to 'literally hundreds' of fast-crawling ticks. Unfortunately, with a changing climate comes additional chances to pick up the blood-sucking hitchhikers. With a warmer atmosphere comes a wetter world, and parasites thrive in those conditions, and ticks have been observed moving north. Southern aridity is their enemy. 'One of the easiest ways to kill a tick is to dry the heck out of them,' said Fonseca.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Is this tick season going to be America's worst yet? Here's what to know
Peak tick season is approaching across the U.S and researchers are expecting this summer to be particularly brutal. But, is it the worst ever? University of Rhode Island entomologist Dr. Thomas 'The TickGuy' Mathers told The Independent that it's too early to call it but the numbers are looking worrying — he's received more submissions of nymphal blacklegged ticks, which carry Lyme disease, to the university's TickSpotters platform so far this month than the weekly average for the same period over the last decade. 'I don't know the answer just yet, if it's a trend going up – but I suspect it is, just based on the number of nymphal blacklegged ticks I've seen in the past couple of weeks,' he explained. Mathers noted that federal data shows emergency room visits related to ticks are up this year, with visits nearly doubling from 70 in April, to 131 in May. Other researchers who also count ticks are noticing a significant jump in specimens. Dr. Saravanan Thangamani, a professor at New York's SUNY Upstate Medical University who runs the Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory, has warned that more ticks are being sent to the lab than at the same time last year, marking a 217 percent increase. 'Based on the trend in tick submission I have observed thus far, I expect a tick season that is worse than the previous years,' he cautioned. But, Rutgers University professor and entomologist Dina Fonseca is not ready to make that call quite yet. She's a part of the submission project called New Jersey Ticks 4 Science! She said people say it's the worst year for ticks every year, noting there's no standardized tick surveillance. They're seeing more submissions, as well, but they don't know if it's just because more people are reporting them. 'Frankly, we don't have enough data over time to be able to say, 'Is it a worse year than normal or a better year than normal?' We don't know,' explained Fonseca. Whatever the case may be, the heightened activity between June and July leaves Americans exposed to 90 species of ticks and the diseases they can carry. Although ticks are on both coasts, they're largely found in the eastern U.S. Some, like brown dog ticks and blacklegged ticks, are located more widely. Not being prepared for ticks while doing outside activities and camping could carry a death sentence — although that's an extremely rare outcome. People bitten by ticks may be exposed to Powassan virus, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Tularemia, Lyme disease, and other pathogens that can cause human disease. People can be affected by multiple diseases at once. The nymphal blacklegged ticks are the ones Fonseca says people really need to worry about, as they can be infected with four different disease agents. That includes Lyme disease, which may lead to facial paralysis and irregular heartbeat if untreated. Although larger than larval ticks, nymphal ticks are only the size of a poppy seed. They may be hard to spot – even for people who are aware of their region's ticks and where they live. 'Look at the bowtie of Lincoln on a penny; that's the size of a nymphal blacklegged tick, Fonseca said. While it's easy to miss ticks, it can take about two days for any transmission to occur after a bite. People who find ticks on their skin should remove them with tweezers as soon as possible. Those who develop a rash or fever after removal should consult a doctor. As far as prevention goes, knowledge is power. Reducing exposure is the best way to avoid negative health outcomes. Mather advises that people follow what he calls the 'three Ts.' Wear tight clothing, tuck in shirts and pants legs, and wear clothes treated with 0.5 percent permethrin repellent. 'If you don't apply repellent, they can be ruthless,' Fonseca said, recalling a time when she picked 30-to-40 ticks out of her hair. Mathers remembers a trip to Fire Island that resulted in the exposure to 'literally hundreds' of fast-crawling ticks. Unfortunately, with a changing climate comes additional chances to pick up the blood-sucking hitchhikers. With a warmer atmosphere comes a wetter world, and parasites thrive in those conditions, and ticks have been observed moving north. Southern aridity is their enemy. 'One of the easiest ways to kill a tick is to dry the heck out of them,' said Fonseca.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Is this tick season going to be America's worst yet? Here's what to know
Peak tick season is approaching across the U.S and researchers are expecting this summer to be particularly brutal. But, is it the worst ever? University of Rhode Island entomologist Dr. Thomas 'The TickGuy' Mathers told The Independent that it's too early to call it but the numbers are looking worrying — he's received more submissions of nymphal blacklegged ticks, which carry Lyme disease, to the university's TickSpotters platform so far this month than the weekly average for the same period over the last decade. 'I don't know the answer just yet, if it's a trend going up – but I suspect it is, just based on the number of nymphal blacklegged ticks I've seen in the past couple of weeks,' he explained. Mathers noted that federal data shows emergency room visits related to ticks are up this year, with visits nearly doubling from 70 in April, to 131 in May. Other researchers who also count ticks are noticing a significant jump in specimens. Dr. Saravanan Thangamani, a professor at New York's SUNY Upstate Medical University who runs the Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory, has warned that more ticks are being sent to the lab than at the same time last year, marking a 217 percent increase. 'Based on the trend in tick submission I have observed thus far, I expect a tick season that is worse than the previous years,' he cautioned. But, Rutgers University professor and entomologist Dina Fonseca is not ready to make that call quite yet. She's a part of the submission project called New Jersey Ticks 4 Science! She said people say it's the worst year for ticks every year, noting there's no standardized tick surveillance. They're seeing more submissions, as well, but they don't know if it's just because more people are reporting them. 'Frankly, we don't have enough data over time to be able to say, 'Is it a worse year than normal or a better year than normal?' We don't know,' explained Fonseca. Whatever the case may be, the heightened activity between June and July leaves Americans exposed to 90 species of ticks and the diseases they can carry. Although ticks are on both coasts, they're largely found in the eastern U.S. Some, like brown dog ticks and blacklegged ticks, are located more widely. Not being prepared for ticks while doing outside activities and camping could carry a death sentence — although that's an extremely rare outcome. People bitten by ticks may be exposed to Powassan virus, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Tularemia, Lyme disease, and other pathogens that can cause human disease. People can be affected by multiple diseases at once. The nymphal blacklegged ticks are the ones Fonseca says people really need to worry about, as they can be infected with four different disease agents. That includes Lyme disease, which may lead to facial paralysis and irregular heartbeat if untreated. Although larger than larval ticks, nymphal ticks are only the size of a poppy seed. They may be hard to spot – even for people who are aware of their region's ticks and where they live. 'Look at the bowtie of Lincoln on a penny; that's the size of a nymphal blacklegged tick, Fonseca said. While it's easy to miss ticks, it can take about two days for any transmission to occur after a bite. People who find ticks on their skin should remove them with tweezers as soon as possible. Those who develop a rash or fever after removal should consult a doctor. As far as prevention goes, knowledge is power. Reducing exposure is the best way to avoid negative health outcomes. Mather advises that people follow what he calls the 'three Ts.' Wear tight clothing, tuck in shirts and pants legs, and wear clothes treated with 0.5 percent permethrin repellent. 'If you don't apply repellent, they can be ruthless,' Fonseca said, recalling a time when she picked 30-to-40 ticks out of her hair. Mathers remembers a trip to Fire Island that resulted in the exposure to 'literally hundreds' of fast-crawling ticks. Unfortunately, with a changing climate comes additional chances to pick up the blood-sucking hitchhikers. With a warmer atmosphere comes a wetter world, and parasites thrive in those conditions, and ticks have been observed moving north. Southern aridity is their enemy. 'One of the easiest ways to kill a tick is to dry the heck out of them,' said Fonseca.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Is this tick season going to be America's worst yet? Here's what to know
Peak tick season is approaching across the U.S and researchers are expecting this summer to be particularly brutal. But, is it the worst ever? University of Rhode Island entomologist Dr. Thomas 'The TickGuy' Mathers told The Independent that it's too early to call it but the numbers are looking worrying — he's received more submissions of nymphal blacklegged ticks, which carry Lyme disease, to the university's TickSpotters platform so far this month than the weekly average for the same period over the last decade. 'I don't know the answer just yet, if it's a trend going up – but I suspect it is, just based on the number of nymphal blacklegged ticks I've seen in the past couple of weeks,' he explained. Mathers noted that federal data shows emergency room visits related to ticks are up this year, with visits nearly doubling from 70 in April, to 131 in May. Other researchers who also count ticks are noticing a significant jump in specimens. Dr. Saravanan Thangamani, a professor at New York's SUNY Upstate Medical University who runs the Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory, has warned that more ticks are being sent to the lab than at the same time last year, marking a 217 percent increase. 'Based on the trend in tick submission I have observed thus far, I expect a tick season that is worse than the previous years,' he cautioned. But, Rutgers University professor and entomologist Dina Fonseca is not ready to make that call quite yet. She's a part of the submission project called New Jersey Ticks 4 Science! She said people say it's the worst year for ticks every year, noting there's no standardized tick surveillance. They're seeing more submissions, as well, but they don't know if it's just because more people are reporting them. 'Frankly, we don't have enough data over time to be able to say, 'Is it a worse year than normal or a better year than normal?' We don't know,' explained Fonseca. Whatever the case may be, the heightened activity between June and July leaves Americans exposed to 90 species of ticks and the diseases they can carry. Although ticks are on both coasts, they're largely found in the eastern U.S. Some, like brown dog ticks and blacklegged ticks, are located more widely. Not being prepared for ticks while doing outside activities and camping could carry a death sentence — although that's an extremely rare outcome. People bitten by ticks may be exposed to Powassan virus, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Tularemia, Lyme disease, and other pathogens that can cause human disease. People can be affected by multiple diseases at once. The nymphal blacklegged ticks are the ones Fonseca says people really need to worry about, as they can be infected with four different disease agents. That includes Lyme disease, which may lead to facial paralysis and irregular heartbeat if untreated. Although larger than larval ticks, nymphal ticks are only the size of a poppy seed. They may be hard to spot – even for people who are aware of their region's ticks and where they live. 'Look at the bowtie of Lincoln on a penny; that's the size of a nymphal blacklegged tick, Fonseca said. Exposure and prevention While it's easy to miss ticks, it can take about two days for any transmission to occur after a bite. People who find ticks on their skin should remove them with tweezers as soon as possible. Those who develop a rash or fever after removal should consult a doctor. As far as prevention goes, knowledge is power. Reducing exposure is the best way to avoid negative health outcomes. Mather advises that people follow what he calls the 'three Ts.' Wear tight clothing, tuck in shirts and pants legs, and wear clothes treated with 0.5 percent permethrin repellent. 'If you don't apply repellent, they can be ruthless,' Fonseca said, recalling a time when she picked 30-to-40 ticks out of her hair. Mathers remembers a trip to Fire Island that resulted in the exposure to 'literally hundreds' of fast-crawling ticks. Unfortunately, with a changing climate comes additional chances to pick up the blood-sucking hitchhikers. With a warmer atmosphere comes a wetter world, and parasites thrive in those conditions, and ticks have been observed moving north. Southern aridity is their enemy. 'One of the easiest ways to kill a tick is to dry the heck out of them,' said Fonseca.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Are tick populations rising in Ontario? How to protect yourself against them
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a black-legged tick. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-CDC via AP Not to tick you off, but the height of tick season is nearly here, and Ontario could see more of the pesky critters this year. While it may be too soon to tell whether there will still be an upward trend in tick populations this summer, Manisha Kulkarni, professor of epidemiology and public health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and researcher with the UPTick project, says that has been the common shift over the last few years. 'This trend has been going on for a number of decades, expanding out of the northeastern United States and it's attributed to a number of different factors—one of them being climate change,' Kulkarni explained. Longer periods of warm weather allow the ticks to be more active, find hosts and reproduce, Kulkarni says, noting that warmer winter temperatures make it easier for these bugs to survive at higher altitudes. Bernie Grafe, the GTA Residential Area Manager at Orkin Canada, said they have already started to see an uptick in tick activity this spring since wildlife has come out of hibernation and vegetation has started to grow back. 'Those ticks are now being transported with ease,' Grafe said. 'We had a very, very wet end of winter, which is seeing (a) significant increase in pest activity, including mosquitoes and ticks.' What types of ticks live in Ontario? Where are they typically found? The two tick species of note in Ontario are the ixodes scapularis, commonly called deer ticks or blacklegged ticks, and the American dog tick or wood tick. Deer ticks are often found in Eastern Ontario, while dog ticks are spotted in southern Ontario, Kulkarni says. It also depends on the time of year for which ticks are most active, she adds. Public Health Ontario says blacklegged ticks have established themselves along the north shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, but have also been found in other areas like Haliburton, Kawartha, Muskoka, Thunder Bay and Lake of the Woods. The health agency has mapped out 'established risk areas' of where these ticks are, which it updates annually. As for where they live, Kulkarni says deer ticks are often found in wooded or brushy areas as they rely on white-tailed deer to reproduce. 'It's going to be a higher percentage of them being in sort of wooded and forested areas, long grass areas, fields with sort of orphan-grown grass,' Grafe said, but said residential neighbourhoods with active chipmunk, raccoon, squirrel and mice populations could also see them pop up in their neighbourhoods as the rodents spread them to backyards. That said, ticks can be found nearly anywhere as they can attach themselves to migratory birds, Kulkarni notes. 'We call these adventitious ticks or inventive ticks. They don't always establish a population in these areas,' Kulkarni said. What diseases do ticks carry? Deer ticks not only carry Lyme disease, but can also transmit other tick-borne pathogens like anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus infection—which are all under surveillance in Ontario. How to protect yourself from ticks Wearing long clothing and applying Health Canada-approved insect repellent like DEET or icaridin can help repel or kill ticks, Kulkarni says. Also, wearing closed-toed shoes and tucking pants into your socks can help prevent ticks from burrowing into your skin. 'Being cautious when you come back home, doing a tick check—looking for any ticks that might be crawling on you or attached—and making sure to really remove those ticks promptly if they have been found,' Kulkarni said. Kulkarni recommends consulting with a pharmacist to see if you're eligible for tick bite prophylaxis, which can help prevent infection if a tick did attach itself to your skin or had the opportunity to transmit any bacterium. How to remove a tick If a tick has latched itself onto your skin, the province recommends using fine-tipped tweezers to take hold of the bug—as close to your skin as possible—and pull it straight out with a gentle, but firm, grip. It is crucial to not crush the tick, the province says, as it could cause Lyme bacteria to trickle into your bloodstream. The province also advises against using a lit match or cigarette, petroleum jelly, nail polish or nail polish remover, kerosene, or liquid soap to remove the tick. 'People have to be wary that when removing these ticks they have to be sure to also get the head,' Grafe told CTV News Toronto. Grafe notes this is due to the fact that ticks tend to bury their head underneath the skin. Once the tick has been removed, the province advises to wash your skin with soap and water before disinfecting with rubbing alcohol or an iodine swab. Then place the tick in an airtight container, like an empty pill bottle, and identify what kind of bug it is before consulting with a health professional on next steps. How to spot Lyme disease 'It's also really important to monitor for any symptoms like fever-like symptoms or rash—an expanding bullseye rash at the tick bite site. These are all signs that it could be a Lyme disease infection,' Kulkarni said. 'So it's really important to get assessed quickly by a healthcare provider.' Other symptoms of Lyme disease include the chills, fatigue, headache, joint pains, muscle aches, spasms or tingling, and facial paralysis. 'It's usually the infants or teenager, immature ticks that will carry the Lyme disease, and they typically have to feed for about 24 hours,' Grafe said. 'So, if people catch this right away, they should be relatively safe.' The number of cases of Lyme disease seen in Ontario have been on a steady rise since 2014, Kulkarni said, pointing to Public Health Ontario's data. Over a decade ago, Ontario logged 257 cases of Lyme disease in the province. This number roughly septupled by 2023, where PHO reported 1,865 cases, including 84 who were hospitalized. 'The risk of acquiring Lyme disease in Toronto overall is believed to be low,' Toronto Public Health said in a statement. Last year in Toronto, 57 blacklegged ticks tested positive for six tick-borne pathogens with nearly half of them carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, one of the causative agents of Lyme disease.
