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Home : News : Article Display
NEWS | June 7, 2017

Are you ready for Tick Season?

By Staff Sgt. Carlin Leslie 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Tick season is in full force and prevention is the best option to reduce the risk.

With JBLE as a hub for critical training units and flying missions , Soldiers and Airmen need to be prepared when it comes to protecting themselves against pests.

The U.S. Army Public Health Center Tick-Borne Disease Laboratory, which oversees the testing for pathogens in ticks for the Langley-Eustis area have some good news.

By far the most common tick in the Langley-Eustis area is the Lone Star Tick, which does not transmit Lyme disease,” said Robyn M. Nadolny, PhD Biologist. “However, there is still some risk for Lyme and other tick-borne pathogens at Langley and Eustis.”

There are five types of ticks that are common in the Virginia and Peninsula regions:

  • American Dog Tick, or often called the Wood Tick, which can transmit Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever

  • Brown Dog Tick, which transmits Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

  • Gulf Coast Tick, which transmits a form of spotted fever

  • Lone Star Tick, which transmits diseases that cause ehrlichiosis, tularemia ad STARI

  • Blacklegged Tick, which can transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and the incurable Powassan Disease.

In the past 10 years JBLE has had 587 human-biting ticks submitted for identification and pathogen testing.

  • Of these, 10 ticks were positive for one or more human pathogens. Of the Lone Star Ticks, six were positive for an agent of human ehrlichiosis.

  • Of the deer ticks, three were positive for the agent of Lyme disease, and no ticks were positive for the agents of anaplasmosis or babesiosis.

  • Of the Gulf Coast Ticks, one was positive for the agent of Tidewater spotted fever.

  • No American dog ticks were positive for the agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.    

All tick biting cases that were reported as positive were by military personnel. It is important to note, however, that an infected tick does not necessarily indicate disease transmission has occurred.

There have been approximately 75 cases of the Powassan Virus reported in the last 10 years, according to the Center for Disease Control . If a service member or a member of their family believes they have symptoms of Powassan, they should contact their local physician immediately.

Ticks cannot jump or fly, they are found near the ground, in brushy or wooded areas. Instead, they wait for a potential host to brush against them, climb onto the host and seek a site for attachment.

If found, they need to be removed right away by using fine tipped tweezers, grasping the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. This will help increase chances of removing the tick head and all.

There are five tips in prevention that the CDC suggests to help fight the tick battle:

  •   Use repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET, or IR3535 on exposed skin for protection that lasts several hours. While also using products that contain 0.5 percent permethrin on clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents. Additional repellent options are available. For more information, see http://cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/insect/.

  •  Treat your dogs and cats for ticks as recommended by a veterinarian, checking daily for any ticks before bringing them in from the outdoors.

     

  •  Check yourself and others for ticks daily, especially under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist and on the hairline and scalp.

  •  Shower soon after being outdoors to release any ticks that may still be on your body.

Tick and bugs bites will still happen, service members and their families should following prevention measures to reduce the risk of infection or contracting a disease. Again, if a service member or their family believes they are suffering from symptoms of a tick or any other pest-borne illness, they should contact their local physician immediately.

For more information regarding Tick prevention or any other pests, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov, or contact your local base Environmental Department.