Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
Warren County Health Services is encouraging residents take precautions to avoid tick bites after already receiving reports of dozens of tick-borne disease cases this spring.
Tick activity picks up annually in the warmer months, as they look for human, canine and other hosts to latch onto.
The County said 2021 saw a nearly four-fold increase in cases of the serious bacterial disease anaplasmosis, which is transmitted in tick bites. The county said 17 anaplasmosis infections had been reported this year, equal to last year’s pace. Lyme Disease remains the most common infection from tick bites.
Warren County will distribute tick removal kits and tick bite educational material on Thursday, May 5, 1-3 p.m. at Cole’s Woods in Glens Falls (Fire Road entrance) and Rush Pond Trail in Queensbury (West Mountain Road entrance).
If going to woods or grassy areas, recommended precautions include:
- Wear clothing treated with permethrin to repel ticks
- Use insect repellent on exposed skin
- Wear light colored clothing and a hat
- Wear long pants tucked into socks, long-sleeved shirts fitted at wrists and closed-toe shoes
- Avoid brushing up against flora
- After an outing, perform a full body check, including in hair and other hard-to-see areas, and check clothing for ticks
Showering is highly recommended.
If you have a confirmed or suspected tick bite, seek medical assistance if seeing a rash or red “bullseye” at the site of the bite, or developing fever, chills, headache, muscle aches or nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite up to 30 days after being bitten.
If you have these symptoms and have been in tick habitats but don’t recall seeing a tick, tell your doctor. It’s possible to be bitten by a tick and not know it.
Contact Warren County Health Services (518) 761-6580 for more information.
Copyright © 2022 Lone Oak Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved
