Experts say upcoming tick season could be worse than last year
Nicole Baumgarth, with John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says last May, there was a 30% increase in emergency room visits for tick-borne illness compared to the previous year. She says this is due to a warming climate and an expanding tick population.
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As the weather begins to warm up, ticks are starting to be seen again.
Following a significantly severe season last year, experts are warning people that this season is likely to be worse than last year.
Nicole Baumgarth, with John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says last May, there was a 30% increase in emergency room visits for tick-borne illness compared to the previous year. She says this is due to a warming climate and an expanding tick population.
To protect yourself from ticks, people are should use bug spray and wear permethrin-treated clothing that covers the skin.
"You wanna have long sleeved, long pants, be a little dorky and put your trousers into your socks, wear a hat," she says.
Baumgarth adds that after a person has been outdoors, they should check their body for ticks and take a hot shower. Ticks that have not attached to a body can easily be washed off. If one does find a tick on their body, they need to carefully remove it and place it a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
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People can develop symptoms from tick-borne illnesses anywhere from three days to 30 days after a bite. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint aches and swollen lymph nodes. If someone has Lyme disease, they will also have rash with a target or bull's eye.
Baumgarth says it takes two days between a tick attaching itself and the germs that lead to Lyme disease being transmitted.
"So you have some time and that's why it's not recommended to go and see the doctor immediately after you've found the tick, particularly if you just came in from a hike or something," she says.
A vaccine to fight Lyme could soon be available.
Pfizer is planning to seek regulatory approval for a new shot.
Nearly half a million people are diagnosed and treated for the disease annually.
