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CUMBERLAND, Maine – Now fighting and identifying ticks can be as easy as a few taps on your phone.
If you find a tick, you can share a photo on an application and the tick will be identified.
The app also allows users to log their daily activities and data that might be essential to discover why the risk of tick exposure is on the rise.
To say that Chris Philbrook and his family are vigilant about the need to protect against deer ticks is a euphemism.
He and his daughter, Lilly, always wear long sleeves and pants before committing to their favorite hiking trail.
They check the ticks after they have finished their outdoor activities and when they return home.
"When you see how debilitating this disease is, you really want to be aware of it," said Chris.
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A stag tick bite gave Chris a condition called "Bell Paralysis". The muscles on the left side of his face became weak and partially paralyzed.
"If you have a tick on you, you can find it here and find out what you need to do."
Users of the Tick application must first complete a brief survey. Then they are asked to record their daily activities and check the meetings.
The application is a collaboration of researchers from the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University in New York.
Dr. Maria Pilar Fernandez is the main researcher of the project.
"It also helps us identify new and growing tick species," Fernandez said. "We have new tick species, especially here in the northeast."
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The application allows users to take ownership of Lyme disease while providing researchers with valuable information on where and how often they encounter ticks.
"We have information after Lyme disease because it's hard to get the information, which is why we try to do it with an app because everyone has a phone," Fernandez added. .
The app offers daily reminders to perform tick checks, information on the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and tips on how to properly remove a tick.
"A lot of people go on YouTube when they want to remove a tick.There is so much misinformation out there," Fernandez said. "All this is in one place: how to ensure the peace of mind of people."
Although Chris thinks that the Tick app contains a lot of useful information, researchers need to add a category to include indoor locations and activities such as housework because you never know where a tick can appear.
"We found a tick in the sink this week," Chris said. "They're really everywhere now, and I think that would be great for them, did you find one in your office, laundromat?"
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You can download the mobile application here or by performing a search in "The Tick App" in Google Play or in the App Store.
Questions regarding the Tick application can be directed to the UW-Madison Research Team of the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-borne Diseases via [email protected].
For more information on tick identification and tick-borne diseases by the Cooperative Tick Laboratory of the University of Maine Extension, click here.
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