Tick Talk: Blood Sucking Pests Making Presence Known This Year

As anyone who's walked through wooded areas in Lynnfield and surrounding towns this spring is likely to know, ticks have been particularly numerous.

With that in mind, the Lynnfield Board of Health is working to get the word out about the lyme disease risks that ticks bring. Lyme disease is caused by bacteria spread through the bites of infected deer ticks, although one must typically be attached for at least 24 before it can spread the disease. In Massachusetts, deer ticks can also spread germs causing babesiosis and human granuloctic anaplasmosis - aka human granulocytic ehrlichiosis.

It's also worth noting that while ticks are most active in the spring and summer months, they can also attach themselves to hosts in winter when the weather is above freezing.

Symptoms of lyme disease can manifest between three and thirty days after a tick bite, and if it is not treated, late symptoms can persist for years after the infection. Symptoms include a rash where the tick was attached, plus flu-like symptoms such as fever, stiff neck, aching muscles and joints and fatigue. In the longer term, untreated lyme disease brings the higher risk of arthritis in the joints, meningitis, Bell's palsy, and heart problems, among other health problems.

Antibiotics are used to treat lyme disease, but given the risks, prevention and vigilance may be more helpful in the long run. Repellents with DEET or permethrin (permethrin repellents are supposed to be used on gear and clothing, not skin) can keep ticks at bay, and it's adviseable to wear long, light-colored pants in the woods that are tucked into one's boots or socks. Long-sleeved shirts are also helpful in tick-infested areas, even if they might be uncomfortable in hot weather. It's also good to talk to one's veterinarian about tick control options and to stick to cleared trails when hiking.