Tickborne disease
are infecting more and more people in this country. Being bitten by a tick will spread disease-carrying germs and bacteria passed from the tick to the host (a person bitten by the tick). Recently, there have been novel tick species that have been found in the US. For that reason, it is more important now than ever before for everyone to be more responsible to help
prevent tick bites and exposure to ticks
while working and enjoying the great outdoors.
In the past twenty years,
seven new tickborne germs
that can cause illnesses have been identified in the United States. These new diseases include:
• Borrelia mayonii
• Borrelia miyamotoi
• Ehrlichia ewingii
• Ehrlichia muris eauclarensis
•
Heartland virus
• Rickettsia parleri
• Rickettsia species 364DNew testing that uses DNA are able to isolate and identify even more new tick germs in the US population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a program to find bacteria and germs in people with suspected tickborne diseases, and uses Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) to identify these illnesses in humans. In the year 2017, the CDC noted state and local reporting of ticks from US health departments recorded a record number of tickborne diseases.
The tickborne illnesses reported include high numbers of:
• Lyme disease
• Anaplasmosis/ehrlichiosis
• Spotted fever rickettsiosis
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Babesiosis
• Tularema
• Powassan virus disease
The total number of tickborne illnesses in 2016 were 48,6100, but in 2017 there were 59,349 cases reported. This number does not include all of the cases that went unreported to local and state agencies for tick bites. These models of increased tick bites do show that
tickborne illnesses have been on the rise,
as in the case of Lyme disease which has tripled in incidence reports since the late 1990s.
The geographical area where ticks live has been expanding across the country, as a result of deer and other animals that the ticks piggyback on to move easily from one region to another. An example of a mobile tick is the lone star tick. It can transport pathogens causing:
•
Ehrlichiosis• Tularemia
• Heartland virus disease
The Lonestar tick started in the Southwestern US areas, but now is also seen in northern and mid-western states as well.
As deer and animal populations migrate, so do ticks. The northern and midwestern states now have many more different types of ticks, and Lyme disease risks have increased over 300% in these regions for exposure to ticks.
Recently, a new tick species called Haemaphysalis longicomis (the Asian long horned tick) has come to the United States. It is the first time that this tick has been identified in this country. We are still researching this new tick that has made people in other countries severely ill, but there are no problems with this species reported on our shores as yet.
Ticks can live up to 2-3 years,
and whether your region will experience an “up-tick” in tick populations will depend on many factors, such as:
• Rainfall in the region
• Overall relative humidity in the seasons
• Temperatures in the region
• Number of mice, deer, animals available for tick blood meals in the forests and fields
It is important to remember that not all ticks spread the same diseases, but the likelihood of any tick spreading a disease to humans will always remain high. For this reason,
avoid hiking or walking in areas with high or tall grass, leaf litter, or new forest growth
to avoid encounters with ticks. Also, use permethrin to treat all clothing before going into the woods were there may be ticks. Treat and check all pets for ticks when returning home from hikes, and shower or bathe immediately after coming indoors to wash off any ticks before they get the chance to use you as a host for their blood meal. Always perform a full body check for ticks after walking or enjoying time outdoors in the woods.
If you need your property treated for ticks, we are here and can come to you now to provide that service for you. We are able to come to you right away to treat for ticks and other pests on your residential or commercial property. Just call
Overson Pest Control,
in Mesa, servicing Mesa and the surrounding areas. We are your #1 resource for pest control in Mesa, Arizona. Just call us now for an experienced exterminator in Mesa, and the surrounding areas.