"Tick populations that may transmit Lyme disease are expanding among Lake Michigan shoreline counties."
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2013/05/new_lyme_disease_cases_in_alle.html
KALAMAZOO, MI — Reports of Lyme disease popping up across the state, with new cases noted in Allegan and Cass counties last week, and the Michigan Department of Community Health issued an alert Thursday warning people to avoid bites from ticks that carry the disease.
This photo of an adult deer tick was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
According to a news release from the health department, ticks can carry illnesses such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), and prompt recognition and treatment is essential to prevent serious illness and death.
Tick populations that may transmit Lyme disease are expanding among Lake Michigan shoreline counties.
In Michigan, 98 cases of Lyme disease were reported in 2012 with most Michigan exposures occurring along Michigan’s western shoreline and in the Upper Peninsula.
The number of Lyme disease cases has slowly increased over the years in Michigan.
“We tend to see cases of tick bites increase during this time of the year,” said Dr. Matthew Davis, Chief Medical Executive at the MDCH. “While numbers of illnesses carried by ticks have not increased in Michigan in recent years, they have not decreased either. We do want Michigan residents to be aware of the simple steps they can take to protect themselves and their families from tick-borne illnesses.”
Ticks are typically found in wooded or brushy areas with tall grass and leaf litter.
The health department advises:
1. Avoid tick-infested areas, especially important in May, June, and July. If wooded or brushy areas along west Michigan, walk in the center of trails to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaf litter at trail edges, health authorities said.
2. Use insect repellent. Spray repellent containing DEET or Picaridin on clothes and on exposed skin. For children, repellents should contain no more than 30 percent DEET, and the repellent should not be sprayed on a child’s hands or face. Clothes (especially pants, socks, and shoes) can be treated with permethrin, which kills ticks on contact. Permethrin can also be used on tents and some camping gear. Do not use permethrin directly on skin.
3. Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors, preferably within two hours, to more easily find ticks and wash them off. Ticks can get a ride indoors on your clothes. After being outdoors, wash and dry clothing at a high temperature to kill any ticks that may remain on clothing.
4. Always check for ticks after being outdoors, even in your own yard. Because ticks must usually be attached for at least a day before they can transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, early removal can reduce the risk of infection. Remove attached ticks with tweezers by grasping the tick firmly and as closely to the skin as possible. With a steady motion, pull the tick’s body away from the skin. Cleanse the area with an antiseptic. Ticks that have not yet attached can be pulled off with tape, and killed by folding in the tap.
For more information about diseases carried by mosquitoes and ticks, click here andhere.
This photo of an adult deer tick was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.According to a news release from the health department, ticks can carry illnesses such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), and prompt recognition and treatment is essential to prevent serious illness and death.
Tick populations that may transmit Lyme disease are expanding among Lake Michigan shoreline counties.
In Michigan, 98 cases of Lyme disease were reported in 2012 with most Michigan exposures occurring along Michigan’s western shoreline and in the Upper Peninsula.
The number of Lyme disease cases has slowly increased over the years in Michigan.
“We tend to see cases of tick bites increase during this time of the year,” said Dr. Matthew Davis, Chief Medical Executive at the MDCH. “While numbers of illnesses carried by ticks have not increased in Michigan in recent years, they have not decreased either. We do want Michigan residents to be aware of the simple steps they can take to protect themselves and their families from tick-borne illnesses.”
Ticks are typically found in wooded or brushy areas with tall grass and leaf litter.
The health department advises:
1. Avoid tick-infested areas, especially important in May, June, and July. If wooded or brushy areas along west Michigan, walk in the center of trails to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaf litter at trail edges, health authorities said.
2. Use insect repellent. Spray repellent containing DEET or Picaridin on clothes and on exposed skin. For children, repellents should contain no more than 30 percent DEET, and the repellent should not be sprayed on a child’s hands or face. Clothes (especially pants, socks, and shoes) can be treated with permethrin, which kills ticks on contact. Permethrin can also be used on tents and some camping gear. Do not use permethrin directly on skin.
3. Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors, preferably within two hours, to more easily find ticks and wash them off. Ticks can get a ride indoors on your clothes. After being outdoors, wash and dry clothing at a high temperature to kill any ticks that may remain on clothing.
4. Always check for ticks after being outdoors, even in your own yard. Because ticks must usually be attached for at least a day before they can transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, early removal can reduce the risk of infection. Remove attached ticks with tweezers by grasping the tick firmly and as closely to the skin as possible. With a steady motion, pull the tick’s body away from the skin. Cleanse the area with an antiseptic. Ticks that have not yet attached can be pulled off with tape, and killed by folding in the tap.
For more information about diseases carried by mosquitoes and ticks, click here andhere.
