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Health officials recommend caution, not fear, this tick season

Watertown Daily Times - 7/21/2017

July 21--Tweet

While fear of tick-borne diseases may be stoked by three recent cases of Powassan virus in Saratoga County, health officials say the state isn't seeing any more tick-related illness than usual.

Since June, two confirmed cases and one suspected case of Powassan virus have been recorded in the state (all in Saratoga County,) and one such resident has died. The state Department of Health clarified that while the individual did in fact have the virus, they cannot confirm a cause of death.

"There has been one case of Powassan in Lewis County (in the last decade) but none further was than that," DOH Epidemiologist and Research Scientist Bryon Backenson said of the north country.

"To be honest, the number (of cases) is not on the rise," he said.

Mr. Backenson said Lyme disease, which is far more common, is cropping up further north and west than it traditionally has in the past, but the number of total cases hasn't risen markedly.

The DOH records roughly 700 cases of Lyme disease per year in New York, and only one to three cases of Powassan on average.

Each year, the DOH collects and tests thousands of ticks, catching around 50 ticks from 100 to 150 sites across the state and testing them for five common pathogens.

"It only takes one tick bite ... the good part is the recommendations are always the same," Mr. Backenson said.

Protective measures encouraged by the DOH include wearing long sleeves and pants when possible, wearing light colors and using insect repellent when spending time outside.

"None of it's a silver bullet, so we recommend doing a tick check at least once a day," Mr. Backenson said.

While Lyme disease may take more than a day to transmit to a human, Powassan can infect a person in as little as 15 minutes.

The Watertown Daily Times reported in early May that a collaborative effort by Paul Smith's College and the New York DOH revealed an increase in the population and density of blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, relative to the north country region.

"This northern region of the state, the north country, which includes the Adirondack Park, is just a very difficult site for (the Department of Health) to do monitoring because it is a long way from Albany and a lot of the sites are difficult to get to because we don't have a lot of roads and the population is low and the tick densities are still very low," biology professor Lee Ann Sporn explained.

Ms. Sporn also said the rate of Lyme disease found in ticks in the north country has increased.

"All of the tick populations we have found, all throughout the region, even where the density is low, they have all been infected with Lyme," she said.

While her research concluded an increase in tick population, Ms. Sporn is unsure as to the cause of the growth.

"It is probably a combination of climate change; changes in land use, reforestation of old agricultural areas perhaps; maybe increases in small mammal and deer populations," she said. "They might spread through the region on birds. Migratory birds might bring them north. So a tick can feed on a bird and the bird can fly north ... it is probably a combination of things."

Still, Mr. Backenson hesitates to call it a "good" or "bad" year for ticks, as it can vary region by region and is often unpredictable.

Ms. Sporn said although tick numbers are growing, she believes the sentiment should not be one of alarm, but rather of spreading awareness.

"You hear a lot of talk about Powassan because there's no real treatment, no cure," Mr. Backenson said.

The Powassan virus, like many viruses, cannot be cured, but medical help should be sought as soon as possible as doctors can still treat the symptoms and help a patient's immune system fight off the disease.

"But with the others, like Lyme disease, there are very good treatments, which is what makes (quick tick removal) and early treatment so important. If you get any symptoms (of tick-borne illness) share with your doctor if you've been spending time outside or have been bit ... caught early enough you can have great results."

To learn about tick protection and removal, the DOH offers instructive videos at www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/lyme/

PROTECTIVE MEASURES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

--Wear light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks easily.

--Wear enclosed shoes, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirt into pants.

--Check clothes and any exposed skin frequently for ticks while outdoors.

n Consider using insect repellent with Deet, Picaridin, IR3535 or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.

--Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails. Walk in the center of trails. Avoid dense woods and bushy areas.

n Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls.

--Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.

n Bathe or shower as soon as possible after going indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that may be on you.

--Do a final, full-body tick check at the end of the day (also check children and pets), and remove ticks promptly.

SYMPTOMS OF POTENTIAL TICK-BORNE ILLNESS:

--Rash

--Headache

n Fatigue or confusion

n Muscle ache

n Fever and chills

n Nausea and vomiting

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