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As temperatures warm up and people start heading outside, the chance of contracting a tick-borne illness goes up.
Tick borne illnesses — most commonly Lyme disease — are widespread in West Virginia.
Dr. Kane Maiers, associate medical director for UPMC GoHealth in West Virginia, said the number of cases of Lyme disease have risen sharply in recent years.
“The statistics that I have for Lyme, specifically from the Department of Epidemiology and Statistics in West Virginia, show that we had about 300 cases of Lyme disease in West Virginia in 2016 ,” he said. “That increased to about 1,500 in 2021 so that kind of gives you an idea of pretty dramatic increase that we’ve had.”
According to CDC data, cases of the infection jumped to more than 3,000 cases in 2023.
Maiers said milder winters are causing an uptick in the number of ticks.
“There is truth to the fact that we are seeing more ticks,” he said. “When it gets really cold, gets below freezing, that helps dampen the tick population. And except for last winter — we did have kind of a pretty, pretty rough winter — but aside from that, most of our winters have been milder than they were historically, and that’s resulting in an uptick in the number of ticks we’re seeing. Also the more people get outside and are doing outside activities, that increases the exposure risk.”
Lyme disease is no longer the only concern with a tick bite, as infections like alpha gal syndrome and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever increase in the region.
“Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is similar to Lyme. It presents with a rash, fever, chills, body aches,” Maiers said. “The rash doesn’t look exactly like the rash with Lyme disease, but it’s a very similar disease process. That’s why it’s important to see a healthcare professional, because one, we can help determine if you’re at risk for tick disease, and if we feel you are, we can do testing that can determine if you have one of those in direct treatment.”
Maier suggested staying out of underbrush and always checking for ticks after spending time outdoors.
“If you do find a tick that is embedded on you, it is important to remove it as soon as possible,” he said. “The less time they spend embedded, the less likely they are to transmit a tick-borne illness. So don’t be afraid to remove it on your own at home, just take some tweezers, apply some gentle pressure and try to get the tick out.”