Health & Fitness

ICYMI: How To Avoid Tick Bites, Lyme Disease In North Carolina

Only a few species of ticks bite and transmit diseases. Here's how many species are in North Carolina and how to prevent tick bites.

A blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick, rests on a plant. This species is known to transmit diseases.
A blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick, rests on a plant. This species is known to transmit diseases. (CDC via AP)

As the weather warms, trees grow and flowers bloom, a lurking menace lies in wait, ready to claim its next victim. This creature is a snake in the grass, only worse — it has creepy legs, latches onto flesh and survives by eating blood. We’re talking of course, about ticks.

Many different species of these tiny arachnids are found all over the globe, but only a few of them bite and transmit diseases: American dog tick, blacklegged tick (also known as a deer tick), brown dog tick, Gulf Coast tick, lone star tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick and western blacklegged tick.

North Carolina is home to five of them, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Find out what's happening in Charlottewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • American Dog Tick
    • Diseases transmitted: Tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
  • Blacklegged Tick
    • Diseases transmitted: Borrelia burgdorferi and B. mayonii (which cause Lyme disease), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, B. miyamotoi disease (a form of relapsing fever), Ehrlichia muris eauclairensis (ehrlichiosis), Babesia microti (babesiosis), and Powassan virus (Powassan virus disease).
  • Brown Dog Tick
    • Diseases transmitted: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
  • Gulf Coast Tick
    • Diseases transmitted: Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, a form of spotted fever.
  • Lone Star Tick

When ticks hatch from eggs, they have to “eat blood at every stage to survive,” according to the CDC. They range in size from less than one-eighth of an inch up to about five-eighth of an inch. And they find their hosts like a highly skilled assassin, detecting breath, body odor, body heat, moisture and vibration.

“Some species can even recognize a shadow,” the CDC wrote. “In addition, ticks pick a place to wait by identifying well-used paths. Then they wait for a host, resting on the tips of grasses and shrubs.”

Find out what's happening in Charlottewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Once on the skin, the tick inserts its feeding tube, which sometimes has barbs to keep the bug in place. Many species also secrete a cement-like substance to keep them firmly attached.

Dog-owners and most people who grew up in tick hotbeds know how dangerous they can be. Lyme disease, for one, is transmitted by the blacklegged tick in the Northeast and northern Midwest, as well as the western blacklegged tick along the Pacific coast. A recent study found that nearly half of all U.S. counties now have ticks that can spread Lyme.

And the data backs that up.

Every year, about 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the CDC by state health departments. In 2017, however, there were more than 42,000 confirmed and probable cases of Lyme reported to federal health officials. That includes 70 confirmed cases in North Carolina and 225 probable cases.

And the actual number could be far higher, with recent estimates suggesting that about 300,000 Americans may get Lyme disease every year, the CDC said.

But ticks can also transmit a bevy of other diseases to humans and animals. Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, for example, can be deadly. Anaplasmosis and Borrelia miyamotoi, meanwhile, can leave you with a fever, chills and a headache.

As with any health problem, prevention should be your first line of defense. The CDC recommends treating your clothing, shoes and camping gear with permethrin. You can apply a bug repellent that’s registered by the Environmental Protection Agency and should avoid wooded or bushy areas with high grass and leaves. Moreover, you should always check clothing and animals when going back indoors and shower soon thereafter. Ticks are known to be found under the arms, in and around ears, in the belly button, groin area, back of the knees and even around the hair.

If you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible using fine-tipped tweezers. Make sure to pull straight up with steady, even pressure to ensure part of the tick doesn’t break off in the skin. Once it’s out, clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Charlotte