Appalachian Tater
06-09-2010, 16:48
It's tick season and the annual NYC DOHMH advisory is out. Hikers need to know signs and symptoms of tick-borne disease, and not just Lyme.
Some interesting stuff. Tick-infested areas have been widening and rate of infection of ticks is increasing. The risk of tick-borne disease is still increasing annually for hikers.
• Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) is the vector for RMSF, and has been detected in great abundance in all boroughs of NYC.
• Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged tick or deer tick) is the vector for Lyme disease, babesiosis, and HGA. Based on limited data, there is no evidence that this tick is established throughout NYC, although recent surveillance suggests it may be encroaching into the northeastern section of the Bronx and the southwestern section of Staten Island. More importantly, significant numbers have been reported in counties and states surrounding NYC. Tick surveillance conducted by the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) identified a large increase in the number of Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in counties outside of NYC in both 2008 and 2009. Testing of ticks collected in the Hudson Valley, also done by the NYS DOH, found infections rates as high as 40-50% for Borrelia burgdorferi, 1-3% for Babesia microti and 7-15% for Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Nymphs, the tick stage responsible for most human disease, are active between May and August. Lyme disease transmission only occurs if a tick is attached for longer than 24 hours.
RMSF = Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Link to full advisory: https://a816-healthpsi.nyc.gov/han/NYCHAN/Documents/AlertsAdvisoriesUpdates/Infectious%20Diseases/2010%20Tick%20Alert%20FINAL%206-9-10.pdf
Link to tick/tick-borne disease info: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ehs/ehstick.shtml
Some interesting stuff. Tick-infested areas have been widening and rate of infection of ticks is increasing. The risk of tick-borne disease is still increasing annually for hikers.
• Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) is the vector for RMSF, and has been detected in great abundance in all boroughs of NYC.
• Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged tick or deer tick) is the vector for Lyme disease, babesiosis, and HGA. Based on limited data, there is no evidence that this tick is established throughout NYC, although recent surveillance suggests it may be encroaching into the northeastern section of the Bronx and the southwestern section of Staten Island. More importantly, significant numbers have been reported in counties and states surrounding NYC. Tick surveillance conducted by the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) identified a large increase in the number of Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in counties outside of NYC in both 2008 and 2009. Testing of ticks collected in the Hudson Valley, also done by the NYS DOH, found infections rates as high as 40-50% for Borrelia burgdorferi, 1-3% for Babesia microti and 7-15% for Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Nymphs, the tick stage responsible for most human disease, are active between May and August. Lyme disease transmission only occurs if a tick is attached for longer than 24 hours.
RMSF = Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Link to full advisory: https://a816-healthpsi.nyc.gov/han/NYCHAN/Documents/AlertsAdvisoriesUpdates/Infectious%20Diseases/2010%20Tick%20Alert%20FINAL%206-9-10.pdf
Link to tick/tick-borne disease info: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ehs/ehstick.shtml