Residents Cautioned About Ticks, Lyme Disease In Santa Cruz Co.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Santa Cruz County Mosquito and Vector Control officials are warning residents to be on the lookout for western black‐legged tick (Ixodes pacificus), which can carry Lyme disease and other tick‐borne illnesses.

“Winter is a time of high adult tick activity in our coastal hills, and residents should be aware when spending time outdoors”, SCCMVC Manager Paul Binding said in a statement.

There have been five cases of Lyme disease reported in Santa Cruz County this year.

• Wear long pants and long‐sleeved shirts.
• Walk in the center of trails and avoid logs, tree trunks, trail margins, brush and tall grass.
• Shower and thoroughly check your entire body for ticks after time outdoors. Parents should examine their children, especially on the scalp and hairline.
• Keep your pets on trails as well, and check and remove ticks after time outdoors.
• Use EPA‐registered repellent for use against ticks; always follow label directions.
• Products with a concentration of 20% DEET or higher, and/or treating clothes and shoes with permethrin before entering tick habitat are recommended.
• Launder clothes (and dry on high heat) soon after activity in tick habitat.

Removing a tick within 24 hours after it attaches can prevent transmission of Lyme diseases
and other tick‐borne diseases.

Health officials recommend removing the ticks as quickly as possible and consulting a doctor if bitten.

• Gently and firmly grasp the tick close to the head and pull it straight out, preferably with fine‐pointed tweezers.
• Save the tick for identification.
• Ticks should be kept alive by placing the tick into a sealable bag or container with a moist cotton ball in a refrigerator or cooler.

Santa Cruz County Mosquito & Vector Control can help with tick identification weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.Visit them at 640 Capitola Rd. in Santa Cruz.

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