The health threats from ticks aren’t going away any time soon in Akron and Summit County, despite cooling temperatures as fall approaches.
Sara Cochrane, an environmental health supervisor with Summit County Public Health, said she expects the activity level of these tiny but potentially dangerous parasites to actually increase in the coming weeks.
She oversees the county’s tick dragging — a collection method used to estimate tick populations.
“[In] the drags that we’ve done this year, we didn’t collect any ticks, which is actually pretty normal,” Cochrane said. “The activity tends to die down a little bit when it’s super hot around this time, but the tick activities should probably start increasing here soon.”
The August increase also tracks with human illness rates. Almost 20 percent of Lyme disease cases, a potentially serious bacterial infection spread to people through the bite of blacklegged ticks, occur during August.
The newest data released by the department reported 13 cases of Lyme disease this year in Summit County, which also reported the seventh-highest sample of blacklegged ticks in Ohio.
Lone star ticks, which also carry Lyme disease, are rare around Akron, said Rob Curtis, Summit Metro Parks’ supervisor of ecological resources.
“Most adult ticks found this time of year are the larger and safer American dog [or wood] ticks,” Curtis said. “The very tiny nymphal deer ticks, which are active in summer woodlands feeding on small mammals, can be picked up when spending time on or near the ground in infested areas.”
What are some safety measures to take against ticks?
To protect against ticks, Cochrane recommends using an EPA-registered tick repellent and wearing light-colored clothing in order to see ticks more clearly.
“I wouldn’t discourage going outdoors, but obviously, if you are in tick areas, you do want to just be cautious,” Cochrane said. Avoiding “high grass and brushy areas, and walking in more open fields, very low grass, dirt trails or pavement,” she said, would be preferred.
After being outdoors in places where ticks might be prevalent, it’s important to check for these tiny blood suckers on skin and clothing. The Ohio Department of Health recommends showering as soon as possible and conducting a full-body tick check. Ticks hiding on gear and clothing can be killed by putting clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes.
If bitten by a tick, it’s recommended to follow the ODH’s removal process by using fine-tipped tweezers to completely remove the tick before putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed container, wrapping it tightly in tape or flushing it down the toilet.
Afterward, it’s important to watch for symptoms of tick-related illnesses, the most common of which include fever, chills, aches and rashes.
Early identification of ticks is important to distinguish between the different diseases they carry and their symptoms and to ensure treatment by physicians with antibiotics is effective. You can do that by emailing SCPH at tick@schd.org with a picture of the tick or in person by calling 330-926-5600 to schedule a drop off.