Ticks Carrying Lyme Disease Confirmed in Eastern National Parks

Ticks Carrying Lyme Illness Confirmed in Japanese Nationwide Parks

Newest Infectious Illness Information

TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2017 (HealthDay Information) -- Planning a mountaineering journey in an jap U.S. nationwide park? Higher pack tick repellent -- a brand new examine discovered these parks are residence to ticks that carry Lyme illness.

Blacklegged ticks -- also referred to as deer ticks -- carrying Lyme illness have been present in 9 nationwide parks: Acadia Nationwide Park in Maine; Catoctin Mountain Park and Monocacy Nationwide Battlefield in Maryland; Fireplace Island Nationwide Seashore in Lengthy Island, N.Y.; Gettysburg Nationwide Army Park in Pennsylvania; Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., and Manassas Nationwide Battlefield Park, Prince William Forest Park and Shenandoah Nationwide Park in Virginia.

That is the primary time researchers have confirmed that the ticks live on the parks, though it is lengthy been suspected that the ticks have been there due to human Lyme illness infections.

"We all know Lyme illness is rising each in numbers of infections and in geographic vary in america," stated researcher Tammi Johnson in a information launch from the Entomological Society of America. Johnson is with the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.

"That is the primary large-scale survey in a number of nationwide parks, and although suspected, it had not been beforehand confirmed that ticks in lots of of those parks have been contaminated. It is fairly possible that ticks contaminated with Lyme illness spirochetes are current in different parks in Lyme illness endemic areas, too," she defined.

Lyme illness signs embody fever, headache and rash. Left untreated, the an infection can unfold to the guts, joints and nervous system, in keeping with the CDC.

Guests to the parks can scale back their threat of an infection by following these tips, in keeping with the U.S. Nationwide Park Service and the CDC:

• Use insect repellents that comprise 20-30 % DEET. Apply them to uncovered pores and skin and clothes. You should utilize permethrin-containing merchandise on clothes as effectively.
• Do not sit or lean on logs while you're out on the path.
• Test your self for ticks -- and verify pets and equipment. Take away any ticks you discover hooked up. As soon as you allow an space that is residence to ticks, bathe inside two hours. This may assist rid your physique of ticks.
• To kill ticks in your clothes, put your garments in a dryer and warmth them on excessive setting for 10 minutes.

"The outcomes of this examine function a reminder that whereas having fun with the parks, guests can and may take steps to assist defend themselves and their family members from tick and different bites," Johnson stated.

The examine findings have been printed within the Journal of Medical Entomology.

-- Randy Dotinga

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SOURCE: Entomological Society of America, information launch, Jan. three, 2017