Until the first freeze, the risk of tick encounters are still there. You should be on the lookout for ticks when out enjoying the warm weather.
Ticks don’t just bite; they can also make you sick. Some Rocky Mountain wood ticks carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can be deadly.
Watch to learn about protecting yourself and pets from ticks:
“There has been a very gradual increase since about 2010 or so, where we're seeing more and more cases reported on average,” said Devon Cozart, Epidemiologist for the Department of Public Health and Human Safety. “It's a very slow, gradual increase usually.”
Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever include headaches, body pains, muscle aches, rashes, and diarrhea. If any of these occur within 2 weeks of a known tick bite, seek care from a healthcare provider.
Along with more cases, Cozart says people are seeing more ticks recently.
“This year, just this past spring, I had a lot of people verbally telling me they were seeing an unusually high amount of ticks in their area,” said Cozart. “So people who didn't usually have ticks in their neighborhood were having ticks in their neighborhood or were having a lot more than usual.”
There are things you can do to protect yourself. First, prevent ticks from attaching in the first place.
“You know, if you have pants, tuck them in your socks and wear light-colored clothing so you can see them if they were crawling on you,” said hiker Becky Lafromboise. “Then generally just checking yourself after you’ve been out in the wilderness.”
Second, check yourself after activities in possible tick habitats—like gardening or hiking--the less time a tick is attached, Cozart says, the less likely you are to get sick.
Third, make sure ticks aren’t hitching a ride on your clothes or equipment. Cozart says to throw your clothes in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes, which will kill ticks.
These are just a few things to keep in mind to keep yourself healthy and tick-free.
