This little critter, a common brown dog tick, is looking for a snack. Don’t let it be you!

By April HussarSELF.com

Picnics, hikes, afternoons in the garden — all wonderful ways to take advantage of the warmer weather. but keep in mind that along with fresh air and exercise, you’re also potentially exposing yourself to tiny, unwanted visitors – ticks! Luckily, with a few steps, you can minimize your exposure and keep yourself safe.

According to Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y., this is poised to be an especially bad tick season, because of the way the white-footed mouse population was affected by a great acorn season two years ago, and a bad acorn season this past year.

Since ticks feast on white-footed mice, and white-footed mice are very effective at transmitting Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacterium that causes Lyme disease), the infected tick population grew last year, says Dr. Ostfeld. now, this year, fewer acorns means fewer mice, which in turn, theorizes Dr. Ostfeld, essentially means ticks will need something else to snack on. us!

Gary P. Wormser, M.D., the chief of infectious diseases at Westchester Medical Center and a professor at new York Medical College, is familiar with Dr. Ostfeld’s theory. “That, combined with the nice weather, and people being out and about enjoying the nice weather, might bring people into contact with more ticks,” he says.

Ticks are less active in cold weather, Dr. Wormser explains, but they can still be active even in the winter as long as it’s not freezing. “And this has been such a mild winter and spring, they’re likely to be more active than they would be under colder conditions, and people are more likely to be outside,” he says.

Plus, Dr. Wormser says the even years tend to be a little worse in terms of numbers of cases of Lyme disease. “I’m not sure exactly why that is,” he says, noting that the deer tick has a two-year life cycle, so it’s possible there are more of them around during the even years. “It’s not a very scientific principle,” he says, “but it’s an observation!”

Whether or not there are more ticks this year than usual, it’s important to protect yourself. “Prevention is the key,” says Dr. Wormser, who points out that it’s much easier to take a few precautions in advance than deal with Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses after the fact. Here are his top strategies for preventing tick bites:

1. Stay away from tall grass, bushy shrubs and areas where there’s a lot of leaf litter. “Manicured lawns that are well-mowed are less risky,” he says.

2. Use insect repellant on your exposed skin (other than your hands and face). Dr. Wormser recommends using repellant with DEET, because it’s proven to be effective. “You can easily see a tick that’s on your face or your hands,” he explains.

3. after you’ve been outside and potentially exposed to ticks, take a shower or a bath. “If you can bathe within a couple of hours of exposure, you will reduce your changes of getting a tick bite.”

4. do a tick check! Dr. Wormser says one of the best strategies is to enlist someone’s help and check your body for ticks every 24 hours during the time you are potentially exposed to ticks. “Look at your entire body to see if there are any attached ticks, and remove them,” he says. “If you can remove the tick within 24 hours of it biting you, you usually don’t contract any of the related diseases.” 

Speaking of removing ticks — Dr. Wormer says is a misconception that you have to get every last bit of the tick out. “They do cement themselves in,” he says, “and normally they would stay on your body for 3-7 days if left undisturbed.” So, he says, “when you pull them out, occasionally a little bit of the mouth part will remain in, but that isn’t necessarily a concern because it comes out on its own.” 

Once you pull out the tick with tweezers, Dr. Wormser recommends treating the area with a topical antibacterial (like Bacitracin) and observing the area for at least a month. “Typically a rash would develop 7-14 days after your remove the tick,” he says, so if you have a rash right away, it’s probably a reaction to the bite itself, rather than Lyme disease. in addition to watching out for a rash, you should make an appointment with your doctor if you have symptoms like headaches or fevers that don’t seem to be related to a cold, says Dr. Wormser.

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Tick populations are on the rise in Vermont. And experts are warning people to be more vigilant in checking for ticks on themselves, their children, and their pets.

Lyndon State College professor of biology Alan Geise studies tick populations and says anecdotal observations are backed up by research from around the region.

(Geise) "There’s really good evidence from Maine, from Minnesota, from Michigan, that tick populations are moving northward.  Even in Europe.  In Sweden there are tick populations now showing up in places where historically they have had none.  And in Germany, ticks are moving in elevation up into the alpine zones where they’ve never been at high altitudes before."

Geise says there are a lot of theories for the increase in ticks in northern regions over the last several years. they include land use, global climate change, and changes in deer populations, but a definitive answer remains elusive.

this year may be an especially bad one for tick bites. the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York says fluctuations in acorn and mouse populations have a large effect on tick populations. 

And a mouse population that’s crashing this year may mean more ticks looking for a human blood meal.

more ticks mean more Lyme Disease. between 2002 and 2011, the number of annual cases in Vermont rose from 40 to 500.

Dr. Chris Grace is head of Infectious Diseases at Fletcher Allen Healthcare. He says people should be aware of the early symptoms.

(Grace) "Within about a week or so after the bite of a tick, people will develop a very characteristic rash characterized by an expanding redness at the site of the tick bite. And with that people may become ill with fevers and achiness and headache and not feel well."

Early diagnosis and treatment of the disease can help ease symptoms. Dr. Grace recommends that anyone who finds an engorged tick on their skin should get in touch with a doctor.

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5th August 2011

OAK Lodge residential care home decided to reach out into the community and offer a service to carers who deal with loved ones with any kind of memory loss dementia.

They decided to offer a place to meet socially on a monthly basis and the Forget Me not Club was suggested by Acorn Unit manager Carol Packer and members of staff who realised there was a real need for more education for carers in this  situation and a place they could go for a coffee and a chat with others facing the same difficulties.

The initial meeting was set up on Frida July 8th, to hold an open forum and gauge opinion from the carers as to what format they required and when the club would be best held.

Some of the group pointed out that there was a carers group in Chard already meeting every second Monday but that unlike Forget Me not it was for any type of care, not specific to memory loss issues as suggested for the Oak Lodge one.

Many felt they needed more information as to what to expect in the future and symptoms to watch out for so it was agreed that professional support in the form of talks and information would be appreciated. Equally the need for getting together with people in the same boat was considered just as useful. A representative from the Alzheimer’s Society was present and the question was raised as to whether the group could meet to coincide with the memory cafe in the Guildhall or the Singing for the Brain sessions in Ilminster, where they could leave their  loved one (subject to their level of dependence)  while they came to the Forget Me not Club. Often the biggest issues for carers was whether they would be able to come away alone for those vital few hours of relief while someone else watched over their loved one.

Fritha Irwin, dementia lead for Majestica who run Oak Lodge, took on board all the suggestions of the carers and agreed that providing educational  sessions I addition to the space for a social meeting  was vital.  the club is open to all comers who are caring for someone with memory loss at any level. for more information please call Oak Lodge 01460 67258.

PICTURE: LET’S GET TOGETHER – Memory loss professionals and carers at the first Forget Me not Club at Oak Lodge care home in Chard

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