CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The influx of ticks are again making a return to the Mountain State with the arrival of Spring and Summer, and experts with the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department are sharing some information behind the dangers of these disease-carrying parasites.
They met for a news conference Wednesday afternoon at Coonskin Park displaying the various kinds of ticks that are prevalent in West Virginia, along with explaining which ones carry tick-borne diseases during the department’s first-ever “Tick-Talk.”
Health Officer with KCHD, Dr. Steven Eshenaur said while certain ticks native to West Virginia can carry multiple kinds of diseases such as Ehrlichiosis which is found in the Lonestar Tick, Lyme Disease remains the most prevalent.
“Lyme Disease is really common in this part of the United States unfortunately, throughout the North-East you see a lot of Deer Ticks, and about 20% of Deer Ticks carry the disease,” said Eshenaur.
Both Lyme Disease and Ehrlichiosis are known to come with flu-like symptoms.
Regional Epidemiologist, Daniel Barker-Gumm said the presence of Lyme Disease is even increasing from year to year, and he saw six new cases of the disease in humans within just this week alone.
He said the Blacklegged or Deer Tick is the one known to carry Lyme Disease.
However, Eshenaur said tweezers are the most effective way to remove ticks from the skin, and he said to always do a thorough self-examination after being outside.
“Anytime you’ve been in the woods, check yourself really good when you come out of the woods, try to get those ticks off of you before they have a chance to burrow in,” said Eshenaur.
Eshenaur said there is however an antibiotic to treat Lyme Disease, and he said people should seek treatment within 72 hours after removing the tick carrying it.
Barker-Gumm said along with the Deer Tick and the Lonestar Tick, the Dog Tick is another common species known to the state. He said currently, all tick species are in the larval stage and are very small and harder to spot, posing even more of a challenge.
“All of the ticks have been laying eggs, so you’ll see more of the babies out, and that’s the reason why we get a lot of Lyme cases in May and June,” Barker-Gumm said.
He added that some ticks can look very similar and the easiest way to identify them is under a microscope.
“You really have to get up close and look at the festoons on their abdomen and also the spurs on their limbs, so sometimes it can be really difficult to id them just by your eyesight,” said Barker-Gumm.
However, he said people can bring them into the health department for identification.
Joining Wednesday’s talk, a Valley West Animal Hospital Veterinarian, Dr. Megan Graham said the obvious and most common victims of ticks are people’s pets.
Research is showing that ticks are staying prevalent throughout the year, and Graham said animals now need year-round tick protection.
“One of the biggest misconceptions that we fight with on a daily basis is that ticks are only a summer time problem, they’re actually present year-round, so using effective year-round tick protection is actually so important for our four-legged friends” said Graham.
She said while cats are typically not as prone to getting ticks as dogs are, year-round protection is recommended for them, as well.
Graham said ticks can safely be removed from pets skin using a hemostat or tweezers, and suggests trying to get as close as possible to the head of the tick to pull it out.
She said there’s various preventative product options for pets, such as topical creams, collars, and there’s a Lyme Disease vaccine for dogs. Graham does not recommend using home remedies to treat ticks on pets.