WCDO Radio News

Cornell University’s Wildlife Damage Management Program reports that tick populations are still high in New York, despite the long, cold winter.  Persistent snow cover helped insulate ticks in the leaf litter so deer ticks that carry Lyme Disease are in large numbers this year, in direct correlation with the high Deer population. Cornell officials warn New Yorkers to wear light-colored clothing with long pants and sleeves, Tuck your pants into your socks, and your shirt into your pants, Use spray repellents as directed, Walk along the center of trails and avoid contact with shrubs or brush, move lawn furniture and children’s toys away from the yard edges and wooded areas & when you return home from hiking in wooded areas, put clothes in the dryer on highest setting for 10 minutes to kill any ticks.

New Yorkers are reminded to take precautions to prevent diseases that are transmitted by ticks as springtime weather returns.  Lyme disease is caused by the bite of an infected deer tick.  Ticks are active when the weather stays above freezing.  The time of greatest concern is in late spring and early summer when the ticks are active.  While this past winter was harsh, the abundant and long lasting snow cover likely provided insulation to allow the ticks to survive.  Deer ticks, carriers of at least four different pathogens, are starting to emerge, and will be present for the next several months across the state.

Lyme disease is about 10 times more common than previously reported. The CDC said as many as 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year. It's a bacteria transmitted through the bites of infected deer ticks. Symptoms include a fever, headache and fatigue and sometimes a rash that looks like a bull's-eye centered on the tick bite. Most people recover with antibiotics. If left untreated, the infection can cause arthritis and more severe problems. The majority of Lyme disease reports have come from the northeast, including New York. For more information go to cdc.gov