http://www.aconews.com/opinion/article_ba423612-7219-11e2-9040-0019bb2963f4.html
February heralds beginning of tick season
Posted: Saturday, February 9, 2013 11:15 am | Updated: 1:05 pm, Fri Feb 8, 2013.
February, with its occasional warm days, is usually the beginning of the tick season in central North Carolina.
While no season is completely safe since adult black-legged ticks are active all winter, things really heat up when the lone star ticks become active. In warmer weather in our area, you are most likely to be bitten by the lone star tick, but dog ticks and black-legged ticks will also bite humans. Black-legged ticks may transmit Lyme disease and several other infections.
Three counties are now endemic for Lyme disease in North Carolina: Wake, Guilford and Haywood. Of course, it is possible to contract Lyme disease in other areas that have not yet met the requirements for being declared endemic. We will discuss those requirements in the next column.
The lone star tick is so aggressive in all its life forms—larva, nymph and adult—seeking out humans as readily as other prey, that about 95 percent of the time, a tick bite from February through October will be from this tick. Lone star ticks may carry several diseases that can have serious consequences for humans. These include Rocky Mount spotted fever, ehrlichiosis (no common name), southern tick associated rash illness—which looks and acts like Lyme disease—and tularemia. This tick also appears to be associated with a red meat allergy in some people.
Fortunately, not all ticks are infected with disease-causing organisms. The proportion of ticks infected with any particular disease varies from area to year. Unfortunately, there are no data being collected systematically and regularly in various locations in North Carolina. One of these reasons is outlined below.
To minimize your chances of getting a tick-borne infection, stay out of high-risk areas, use repellents and treated clothing if you must be in areas with ticks, do frequent tick checks, and remove ticks properly as soon as you find them. Keep the tick. There is detailed information on these topics on our website.
No current tick-related data in N.C.
When you read about these ticks, you may wonder why more is not known about the proportion carrying the disease-causing organisms. Tick populations and the infectious bacteria and viruses they carry are constantly changing. This, along with more knowledge becoming available, makes it important to have ongoing research programs.
Tragically, and at the peril of the health and safety of North Carolina residents, in 2010 the North Carolina legislature voted to dismantle the Pest Management Division of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. All five of the state’s entomologists along with other researchers and staff were dismissed and told to discard their research. It was especially shocking since a number of tick-related projects had been developed and were providing very important information for the health and safety of our people. We need to let our legislators know we want this division back.
Let us know if you have any questions you would like us to address. More information can be found at TIC-NC’s website at www.tic-nc.org.
Marcia E. Herman-Giddens, PA, DrPH, works as a child and family health consultant as well as an adjunct professor in UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Public Health. She is a member of Tick-borne Infections Council of North Carolina Inc. For more information, go to www.tic-nc.org or call Herman-Giddens at (919) 542-5573.
