Summer is a great time to be outdoors, but state officials warn Delawareans to watch out for ticks.
Ticks are prominent in Delaware and can be found across the state, with studies showing many incidents of tick bites occurring not just in parks, but in people’s own backyards.
But while ticks and tick bites are commonplace, many Delawareans aren’t aware of the risk that comes with them.
Ticks carry diseases that can lead to serious illness if you are bitten.
The most common tick-borne infection is Lyme disease, with Delaware being among the top 10 states when it comes to Lyme disease incidence rates in the United States. Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease may include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, and a distinctive rash that resembles a “bulls-eye.” And more serious symptoms can come from delayed or inadequate treatment of the disease.
However, there are 6 other lesser-known diseases that Delaware ticks carry, as well, such as ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis. Signs and symptoms of both may include fever, aches, and gastrointestinal upset, with ehrlichiosis also showing a rash.
Delaware Division of Public Health epidemiologist Kristen Rios says it’s important for the public to understand these symptoms that may come from tick-borne illnesses.
“The one thing that I notice a lot about the tick borne illnesses that I speak to is that they don’t even know that they’ve been bitten by a tick, or they don’t recall being bit by a tick. And so that’s important, too,” said Rios. “That’s why we want to prevent them from even having that issue. So wearing your bug spray, and making sure those ticks don’t even want to be on you.”
And DNREC tick biologist Ashley Kennedy says while you can’t always prevent ticks from getting on you, you may be able to stop them before they transmit disease.
“Regular and frequent tick checks when you come back indoors are critical because you want to find that tick before it bites you or, if that fails, before it has been attached to you for very long,” Kennedy explained. “Because the longer it’s attached, the more likely it is to transmit pathogens.”
And she adds that goes for pets, too.
Tick bite prevention includes wearing light clothing to easily identify if a ticks have climbed onto you, sticking to the middle of trails and in short grass when spending time outdoors, and wearing tick spray.
To help Delawareans exposed to ticks, DNREC has launched a new online tick interactions form that asks questions such as when and where the interaction took place, and a photo of the tick, if possible.
That form, as well as more information on tick-associated diseases and other prevention tactics, can be found at de.gov/ticks.
