August 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 37

seek the blood of a new host. Because they feed on different hosts
at each stage, they may pick up disease-causing pathogens that they
then transmit to the next host they
feed on. After the adult female
feeds, she drops off and lays up to
5,000 eggs, and the cycle begins
again. Some ticks may take up to
three years to complete this cycle,
others do so in a matter of months.
What Are the Dangers?
According to the Tick Encounter Resource Center of Rhode
Island University, Blacklegged
ticks (Deer ticks) are most likely
to carry the bacteria that causes
Lyme
disease.
Recent
studies have shown that up to 50
percent of DeHr ticks carry the
Lyme disease-causing
bacteria.
Lyme disease symptoms include
fever, headache, fatigue and joint
pain, but in only about 40 percent
of cases is there the characteristic
" bullseye " rash at the site of the
bite. The Blacklegged tick, which is
present throughout the East, has
expanded more recently into the
upper Midwest and far West.
Scientists and ecologists speculate
that there are several reasons tickborne vector diseases are increasing
and disease-carrying ticks are expanding their range. Two probable
causes are higher annual temperatures because of climate change
and changing patterns of animal
migration. Ticks are expanding into
areas where they were never present
before due to the explosive spread
of white-tail deer and expanding
human travel patterns.
In recent years, the dangers from
ticks have grown dramatically because they are more likely to carry
organisms that can infect humans

with any number of nasty diseases in addition to Lyme disease,
such as Southern Tick-Associated
Rash Illness (STARI), which can
produce a life-long allergic reaction to red meat (you'll never eat
a burger or steak again if you get
it), Rocky Mountain spotted fever,
Powassan, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Tularemia and other really
awful diseases and conditions you
don't want to get, ever.
What You Can Do to
Prevent Tick Bites
Park and recreation agencies can
play a vital role in educating park
visitors and equipping their staff
with knowledge about the hazards
of tick-borne diseases and how
to avoid them. Matt Graul, chief
of stewardship for the East Bay
Regional Park District in the San
Francisco Bay area, says they take
tick education and prevention
very seriously. With the spread of
Lyme disease to the Northwest,
public park agencies have begun
to institute awareness measures
for the public. Graul says, " We
developed a tick bite protocol for
staff, and we conduct training
and education for the full-time
and seasonal EPRD staff. " In
addition, they also distribute tick
removal kits to staff who request
them. He notes they post signs for
the public in park areas that are
known for possible tick exposure.
Chris Matthews, division director of nature preserves and natural
resources of Mecklenburg County
parks and recreation in North Carolina, notes that, " We do instruct
camp counselors and leaders to
avoid areas that are known for high
probability of tick exposure. " The
agency also provides annual safety

How to
remove
a tick:

Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp
the tick as close to the skin's surface
as possible.

Pull upward with steady, even
pressure. Don't twist or jerk the
tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to
break off and remain in the skin. If this
happens, remove the mouth-parts with
tweezers. If you are unable to remove
the mouth easily with clean tweezers,
leave it alone and let the skin heal.

After removing the tick, thoroughly
clean the bite area and your hands
with rubbing alcohol or soap and
water.

Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed
bag/container, wrapping it tightly in
tape, or flushing it down the toilet.

Avoid folklore remedies, such as
" painting " the tick with nail polish
or petroleum jelly, or using heat to
make the tick detach from the skin.
Your goal is to remove the tick as
quickly as possible - not waiting for it
to detach.

If you develop a rash or fever
within several weeks of removing
a tick, see your doctor. Be sure to tell
the doctor about your recent tick bite,
when the bite occurred and where you
most likely acquired the tick.
For more information, visit www.cdc.
gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html.

Source: Center for Diease Control (CDC).

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Parks & Recreation

August 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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