Having lived in the Kildeer/Long Grove area for 35 years, I am quite aware of that pesky, bloodsucking, disease-transmitting arachnid referred to as a tick.
This is an alert for those who enjoy summer walks in heavily forested areas or whose pets love to romp through thick grassy regions. Be aware that since last year especially, ticks have enjoyed an enormous growth in number and are waiting to suck your blood and the blood of other members of your family.
The Illinois Department of Public Health, along with the University of Illinois Extension and the McHenry County Department of Health, are sending warnings to residents to take precautions to avoid the diseases carried by tick bites.
Lone star ticks, carriers of Ehrlichiosis, have even been making their way north after being only found in the Southeast and South Central part of the U.S. for years. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever – carried by the American dog tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick, and brown dog tick – has also been more prevalent in recent years.
Our main concern in Huntley, however, is the abundance of the blacklegged tick, also known as the deer or bear tick. Lyme disease, which will be discussed fully in Part 2, is transmitted by the blacklegged tick.
The IDPH reported seeing 204 cases of Lyme disease and 151 cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in 2012. McHenry County Department of Health gives more negative info on tick statistics. In 2012, there were 39 human cases of Lyme disease in McHenry County and three cases of Erlichiosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. In 2011, only 19 cases of Lyme Disease were discovered in McHenry County.
Up to an early summer date this year, six cases of Lyme disease and one Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever case have been reported, with many cases still being investigated.
According to the agency, “Nineteen ticks have been tested; two were positive for Lyme disease.”
Why the increase in ticks recently? O’Hare’s wettest-on-record April 2013 rains certainly contributed to their development: ticks love wet and humid conditions.
Conversely, our winters need to be extremely cold to kill off ticks. We have not had a string of subzero temperatures in a long while.
One of the most important factors, of course, is the increase in the white-tailed deer population which carries the blacklegged tick. The deer population has exploded in the state since the 1970s. An IDPH spokesperson said in 1998 that only eight counties had deer tick populations. However by 2012, there were 34 counties with established or suspected tick numbers.
What can we do to prevent Lyme disease? There is a reason that you see so many outdoor workers wearing protective, long-sleeved shirts and long pants even on brutally hot days. Ticks climb upward; they do not fall from trees as previously believed. Therefore, it is important that anyone who could be exposed to heavy grass areas tuck long pants into their socks, even taping them tight.
Insect repellent – containing 10 to 30 percent DEET – should be applied cautiously to skin. Permethrin can be used on clothes. When walking on a trail or tick-suspected area, try to avoid contact with weeds and brush. Always walk in the center of a path.
When a tick does latch on to you or your pet, there is only a period of hours before the bacteria is transmitted throughout the body. Doctors and veterinarians recommend removing the arachnid quickly and thoroughly with the use of fine-point tweezers. The technique of removal follows:
1. Pull the tick straight out slowly and firmly
2. Do not rupture or jerk or twist the tick
3. Try to grasp the tick where its mouth meets the surface of the skin
4. Make sure the area of contact is washed completely and an antiseptic is applied. Contrary to a procedure many of us grew up with, do not use a burning match, nail polish, or any other substance that may allow the tick to dig further into the skin.
Don Alberts, a Sun City resident, visited Freeman Kame Forest Preserve last summer with his son and his son’s dog.
“For a period of time, the weimaraner was able to romp through the fairly thick grasses [and] weeds of the park,” he said. “After petting or cleaning the dog, we found a partially buried tick in its fur. We quickly took my son’s dog to a local vet where two more ticks were discovered, and all three ticks were properly removed by the vet.”
After being given anti-tick/flea medicine to squeeze into the surface of the dog’s skin for future control – something recommended by local vets to be used immediately by dog owners – Mr. Alberts and his son were told by the vet to check themselves for ticks, remove their clothes, and shower upon arrival back home. It is even recommended that clothes exposed to ticks are tossed into the home dryer at high heat for 15 minutes before they are washed. Water doesn’t kill ticks but heat does.
Molly, a veterinarian aide for Dr. Joe Frost, whose animal hospital is in Rockford, explained why cat owners do not usually find ticks to be a problem.
“Cats are almost obsessive about cleaning themselves,” she said. “Very seldom do cats have a need for help with ticks.”
Dogs are a different story.
“We have seen a ton of ticks [on dogs] this year – I think more than I have seen in my 20 years,” Dr. Frost said. “In areas with a lot of Lyme disease, the [Lyme] vaccine is important to give.”
Please consult your doctor or regular health physician before following suggestions found in any Sun Day health columns/stories.
