Being outdoors is a wonderful thing, especially considering we live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, where scenic trails and countryside are in abundance.

However, while spending time outdoors it is important to be mindful of the presence of ticks. If you saw page 2A of Friday’s Democrat, you might have noticed an article from the county on ticks.

It stated that the county has seen a dramatic rise in the number of cases of anaplasmosis, another tick-borne illness. This is in addition to cases of Lyme Disease. According to Public Health Director Nancy McGraw, “In all of 2019, Sullivan County had 653 cases of Lyme and 32 cases of anaplasmosis. In the first half of 2021, there have already been 322 cases of Lyme and 32 cases of anaplasmosis.”

Some of the symptoms of these diseases include fever, muscle aches and pains, headache and sometimes insomnia.

While we’ve been taught to be on high alert around shady, moist areas at the ground level, as well as in tall grass, brushes and shrubs, which is a good skill to practice, it doesn’t mean they aren’t prevelent in other places.

While we certainly aren’t public health experts on the matter, we have heard stories of people finding a tick on them after even the shortest encounters outside in short grass.

We also know people who have got ticks in their own home which were brought in by their pets. So even then you should be on the lookout.

As the article stated, the best defense against tick-borne illnesses is prevention.

Some tips provided include:

• Wearing light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks easily.
• Wearing enclosed shoes, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirt into pants.
• Checking clothes and any exposed skin frequently for ticks while outdoors.
• Consider using insect repellent on the skin.
• Consider treating clothes with permethrin.
• Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails. Walk in the center of trails. Avoid dense woods and bushy areas.
• Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls.
• Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.
• If possible, remove clothes prior to entering the main part of the house to prevent ticks from coming into the home. As an alternative, use a lint roller over clothes prior to coming into the home to remove any ticks which may remain on clothing and skin
• 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.

These tips are incredibly helpful, and a special shoutout to Public Health for contiuning to educate us on ticks and other health related matters, even while busy dealing with the various variants and strains of COVID-19.