Extension News: Human health Archives

A new report from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHHS) notes that cases of Lyme Disease in the Granite State rose 43 percent last year, from 619 in 2006 to 892 in 2007.

The highest rates of disease occurred in Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Carroll Counties.

The culprit: blacklegged tick
"The state monitoring program found that half the adult blacklegged ticks collected in Strafford, Rockingham and Hillsborough Counties, and 20 percent to 50 percent in Merrimack County carried the Lyme disease bacterium," says UNH Cooperative Extension entomologist Alan Eaton.

Eaton adds, "New Hampshire is home to 15 species of ticks, but the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis, also called the "deer tick") is the one that transmits Lyme disease."

"The blacklegged tick itself becomes infected with Lyme disease-causing bacteria by feeding on an infected 'reservoir host,' an organism that carries high levels of the bacteria in its bloodstream," says Eaton. "In New Hampshire, the primary reservoir host for Lyme disease is the white-footed mouse."

Protect yourself
"Although the risk of acquiring Lyme disease is greatest in June and July, adult blacklegged ticks are becoming active now in southeastern New Hampshire," says Eaton. To protect yourself and your family, Eaton and public health officials recommend:

• When possible, avoid walking through tall grass and brushy areas, prime habitats for ticks.
• If you do walk into tick territory, wear protective clothing. Long pants and long sleeves help keep ticks off skin. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirts into pants to keep ticks on the outside of clothing. Tape the area where pants and socks meet so ticks can't crawl under clothing.
• Light-colored clothing will make it easier to spot ticks.
• Use insect repellent containing 20 percent to 50 percent DEET on clothes and exposed skin.
• Don't use DEET on babies younger than two months old, and use a preparation containing less than 30 percent DEET on young children.
• Pressurized spray products containing the insecticide permethrin sprayed on clothing will kill ticks that attach themselves to the clothing. Never apply permethrin-containing products directly to the skin. Spray them on clothing before you put it on. Always follow the label when applying a pesticide.
• After being outdoors, wash and dry clothing at a high temperature to kill any ticks that may remain on clothing.
• Perform tick checks after being outdoors. Removing ticks early can reduce the risk of infection. Inspect all body surfaces carefully (including scalp, hair, and between the toes) and remove attached ticks with tweezers. Grasp the tick firmly and as close to the skin as possible. With a steady motion, pull the tick's body away from the skin. Avoid crushing the tick's body.
• Don't try to remove a tick using Vaseline, a hot match, nail polish, or other products.
  
• After removing the tick, clean the bitten area with an antiseptic.
• Monitor the site of any tick bite for signs of infection, and monitor your overall health closely after a tick bite, staying alert for signs and symptoms.
• To reduce ticks around the home where people spend time, keep grass short, remove leaf litter, and create a wood-chip or gravel barrier where the yard meets the woods,

To have a tick identified
Residents who want to have a tick identified have two options:

UNH Arthropod ID Laboratory
Fee is $5. Follow directions on submission form for preparing specimen. Mail or walk-ins.

Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food No fee. Residents can also take advantage of this service by dropping off specimens at the Health and Human Services Building at 29 Hazen Drive in Concord. Please read submission form for proper preparation of specimen.

Note: Laboratories identify tick species, but don't test for presence of disease-causing organisms.

More information

NHDHHS general Lyme disease information
Lyme disease fact sheet
New Hampshire Tick-Borne Disease Bulletin: 2007 Update
Biology and Control of Ticks in New Hampshire

Photo credit: Alan Eaton, UNH Cooperative Extension