LONG ISLAND, NY — A mild El Niño winter on Long Island means ticks are out early and may already be attached to dogs—and you—and potentially transmit serious diseases.
The emergence of ticks, carriers of Lyme disease, mumps and other diseases, is usually a mid-spring phenomenon, but even in typically wintry Minnesota, deer ticks appeared as early as February, according to Twin Cities pest control officials.
Tick species to watch out for in New York include the American dog tick, the black-legged tick, and the Lone Star tick.
Diagnosing a tick-borne illness can be difficult because symptoms may not appear for up to 30 days in some cases. People who are infected often feel like they have a cold or flu at first. That's when they should go to the doctor, because if left untreated, more serious complications can develop, and even death in rare cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC keeps track of where tick-borne illnesses have been reported and what to do if you suspect you're sick. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease and is found in an area that includes the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions, as well as the Pacific Northwest. Other common tick-borne diseases include babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, Powassan virus disease, tick-borne relapsing fever, and tularemia.
Because symptoms are delayed, the best thing to do is to protect yourself from ticks when you are in places where they are likely to be found – grassy, bushy and wooded areas or even in your yard. Some tips from the CDC:
- Wear socks and boots and tuck your pants into your boots. Cover your hair too.
- Insect repellents specifically for ticks can also help. Treat clothing and equipment such as boots, pants, socks and tents with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin.
- Talk to your vet about tick treatments for cats and dogs.
- Check daily for ticks, especially under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and on the hairline and scalp.
- Shower immediately after being outdoors.
If you find a tick, use fine-tipped tweezers to grab the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible. The key is to remove the tick as soon as you find it or you can. Using nail polish, petroleum jelly, or heat to make the tick come off the skin won't work.
Pull up with steady, even pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick, as this can cause its mouthparts to break off and lodge in the skin. If you can't remove the mouth parts easily, leave them alone and let the skin heal.
After removing the tick, clean the bite area and your hands thoroughly with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
