In Virginia, tick season is year-round. As the calendar gets closer to summer, ticks will start to get more aggressive.
With ticks come a score of diseases. Lyme Disease is the most well-known disease caused by ticks, but Jenny Hall, a Radford University associate professor of Public Health & Healthcare Leadership, says there are plenty more to worry about.
“Alpha-Gal is another one that we need to be looking out for,” Hall said. “We also have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis, which has been one of the more emerging ones.”
Perhaps the most aggressive tick is the Lone Star Tick. Other ticks may wait for their prey, but the Lone Star Tick doesn’t like to wait.
“With the Lone Star Tick, they’re actually going to come out after you,” Hall said. “So they will come out into the lawn more.”
You won’t feel the bite either, so it’s important to check your skin after being outside in grassy areas.
“It may feel like a small little skin tag or a little movable bump, and that can be a side,” Hall said. “Some people will have itching or a raised area, red area around the bite, [and] of course, being on the lookout for rashes as well.”
If you need to remove a tick, the best way to do it is quickly and with some tweezers.
“Getting as close to the skin as possible and pulling straight up and out to get the tick safety out,” Hall said. “You don’t want to twist it. You don’t want to sort of flip it or squeeze it. You can squeeze the pathogen back into you by doing it that way.”
To keep yourself safe outside, wear long pants and tuck them into your socks, wear light colored clothing, and put on plenty of tick repellent. Dogs and cats can also get tick-borne diseases as well. While they do have vaccines, look for signs such as fatigue, fevers or a limping leg.