We’re officially in tick season, and the worst ones are coming out this week.
“The ones that will start this week are the small ones called nymphs, and they’re particularly worrisome because they’re very small and they go undetected,” said Stephen Rich, professor of Microbiology at UMass Amherst. “And if you don’t find a tick, that’s when they’re most dangerous to you.”
Lyme disease is always a concern.
But this year Powassan virus was also detected in a tick in Sharon.
“So we’re hoping this is something that’s very, very rare thing, because in cases where it does affect people, it usually has very bad outcomes, encephalitis leads to swelling of the brain and can very often be fatal,” said Rich.
Rich is the executive director of the New England Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases.
He’s working on a multi-state research project, testing backyard pesticides to see what actually works to kill ticks.
“We really want to make sure people understand what the risks are before they go spending a lot of money to control ticks where they might not already be,” said Rich.
Rich says their research is still in the works, but so far the best ways to protect against ticks, is to use a bug spray for your skin, a treatment for your clothes, and always do a skin check after being outside.
“Check your kids, check yourself, check your pets,” said Rich.
Rich says the next big concern are lone star ticks since they’re making their way to Massachusetts from the south.
If you get bit by one, you could develop an allergy to red meat.
“It sounds crazy but this is what happens – you get bit by a tick, it induces an immune response inside you that the next time you go to eat a cheeseburger, you have an allergic reaction to it,” said Rich.
Just another reason to protect yourself from these tiny pests.
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