Tips from a researcher to stay safe on the outside



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The increase in Lyme disease cases in Pennsylvania has been alarming. There were 10,000 in 2018, and more than in any other state. The disease can cause flu-like symptoms and an early rash. If it is not treated, more serious health problems like arthritis and nervous system disorders.

The best way to avoid Lyme disease is to avoid infected ticks that carry the bacteria that causes them.

For example, Kara Holsopple from the Allegheny Front arranged to meet an outdoor enthusiast concerned with prevention. Jill Henning is an associate professor of biology at the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown. She loves being outdoors, hiking with her young son, running or just sitting on the grass.

Henning met Holsopple at the head of one of the rural campus trails for a hike and discuss the prevention of tick bites. Henning brought a backpack that belongs to his son. It contains everything you need for a hike: a mix of snacks, a rattlesnake guide, a whistle. On the outside, we find the characters from the latest Avengers movie, and Henning said that he had also been treated with a product called permethrin.

Kara Holsopple: What is permethrin?

Jill Henning: It is based on the chrysanthemum flower. This does not necessarily repel ticks. This does not prevent them from imposing themselves on you. But once they touch you, it creates something that we scientists call hot foot syndrome. So if you think of a human stove, you have that reflex to retract. Ticks will put on clothes [treated] with permethrin, then climb up to now and free yourself. They will fall from you.

KH: So we leave. What would be the first thing you would do to prepare yourself?

JH: There are many products available to treat your clothes. I would recommend permethrin products, although you can use essential oils like eucalyptus, lemongrass, thyme, rosemary and lavender.

DEET, which I do not recommend, only because it is a known carcinogen. What I do, is to treat my clothes on the outside or spray them in a ventilated place, then hang them to dry them. This lasts a few washes, so you do not have to deal with it continuously.

When my son was younger, I used a bandana. I would tie him around him, because I could not handle his clothes. Someone under the age of three, it is not a good idea to use these kinds of things.

I always wear long pants, even if it's hot.

KH: You have long socks.

JH: I do it, up to the knees. In case they get on, ticks will climb the sock and it will take a little time to get to your skin.

KH: So we are here at the beginning of the trail. What is happening here?

JH: If you use something made from essential oil, if you use something that you made yourself, there is a good chance that you will apply it more regularly. So, for example, apply it just before you leave, and maybe an hour or so.

In fact, during my hike, I use a lavender-based deodorant, because ticks may lodge in the armpits, navel, between the legs and behind the knees. It's just an extra layer of protection.

So while you're hiking,

  • It is important to know where you are and walk in the center of the trail. Ticks like to attach to long grass or brush-covered areas.
  • They use the upper two legs of their eight legs to detect carbon dioxide, so to speak their next victim. They will use these to become attached to you when you pass.
  • Carbon dioxide attracts ticks. As a result, the more you walk, the more you breathe, and the more your heart rate will increase. The more CO2 you release, the better your target.

KH: What if you did not walk on a path or if you had to cross a meadow? What should you look for?

JH: So there is a vegetation called Japanese barberry. It is an invasive species, known to attract ticks.

The other thing you need to worry about in a field like this would be the deer mouse, which is actually the place where ticks acquire the pathogen. Their bedding is in places like this.

The best thing to do is simply walk down the field, make sure your repellents are in place, and check the ticks on the other side.

KH: What tick causes Lyme disease in humans?

JH: The tick we talk about most often is the blacklegged tick, or its scientific name is Ixodes scapularis. It is also known as deer tick. It's black at the top, then underneath is brown.

The ecology of this particular pathogen is that deer ticks lay their eggs on the deer and fall. Then they will enter the bedding areas of the deer mouse. The larval and nymphal stages feed on the deer mouse, and this is usually where they acquire the bacteria.

So this tick will become a stag in adulthood, and that's where their life cycle will be completed. You can see some deer tracks, if you look right there. You can see where they went because they tend to walk in single file.

So I would avoid that [deer] way if I had to hike here.

KH: Tell me a bit about your research. I know you have examined the prevalence of Lyme disease and ticks in Pennsylvania.

JH: Some students from Pitt-Johnstown and I conducted a study in six counties in the Southwest Game Commission region here in Pennsylvania, and found that one out of three ticks carried the Lyme pathogen. We collect ticks again to redo this study, but we see that it is on hold.

KH: It's early June. When are ticks most likely to jump on you?

JH: Now. Between April and September, the hottest months of the year are usually those that are bitten by ticks. Although ticks can bite you at any time of the year.

Because people are stronger during the warmer months, it is when they are more likely to be exposed.

But in the life cycle of the tick, they can bite you at the nymphal stage or at the adult stage. Very small nymphs are those that are usually difficult to see.

In my Avengers backpack, I'm wearing a magnifying glass to see if it's a mole or a tick.

KH: What are some of the misconceptions the public has about ticks and Lyme disease?

JH: I do a lot of community work with different organizations and one of the questions that surprises me often is that they ask me if spiders are carriers of Lyme disease. I think this misconception is because ticks are arachnids and when people hear the word arachnid, they tend to think "spider". Spiders are not vectors. They do not transmit Lyme disease.

Another misconception is that most people know that if they are bitten by a tick, they have the characteristic rash of the bull's eye, called erythema migrans in medical terminology. But in reality, only 70% of individuals bitten by a tick transmitting the pathogen of Lyme disease will show a bull eye eruption.

It is therefore better to think of the symptoms produced by the body, other ocular rash of this bull. For example, a person will have colds, fever, chills, fatigue or muscle aches. Some people will take it for a cold summer.

If you find yourself outside of a place that you consider to be a high prevalence area for ticks, you should consider that Lyme disease might be something that is happening.

KH: So we're at the end of our hike and we get into a car or we go home. What should we do now?

JH: This is an excellent question. Many people forget this part.

  • You should shower shortly after your hike.
  • If you can not do that, say you're camping, you should check for ticks yourself.
  • If you're alone, get a mirror, because ticks like to go to places that we can not see very well ourselves.
  • If you find an integrated tick, do not panic. Never touch the abdomen. This is a sure way to regurgitate the tick.
  • There are tick removal tools that have some kind of curvature associated with the tip, that you slip under the tick where it is integrated and that you rotate. This twist will then appear.

If you do not know how to remove the tick, I would suggest spending three dollars and buying the tick removal tool.

Yes, ticks are a problem, but I do not think you should let that bother you to the point of not going outside. You can take many steps to prevent Lyme disease. Even if you are bitten by a tick, you can easily treat yourself by consulting your primary care physician.

So go outside. Do it smartly.

Find this report and others on the site of our partner, The Allegheny Front.

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