The Bugs Are Back: Protect Yourself And Your Pets

PROVIDENCE, RI — Now there's a disease even scarier than Lyme. Powassan is a tick-borne disease new to southern New England. So far, it hasn't turned up in Rhode Island. But it's been found in Massachusetts, and therefore, it may not be too long before some Rhode Island catches it. Health officials are concerned, the state says. The good news is, there haven't been too many cases. The bad news is, it causes brain inflammation.

Other tick-borne illnesses in Rhode Island are anaplasmosis and babesiosis. But the focus has been on Lyme disease, particularly in Washington County and on Block Island. (Some communities, such as Jamestown, dispute this view, and say they're a hot spot, too.) But the strategy, regardless of location, is the same: Don't let a tick bite you or your pets. If it does, remove it fast.

The tick must be in the skin for 36 hours before it can transmit Lyme. The so-called deer ticks can be tiny ticks; in some cases, they're about the size of a poppy seed. They burrow into hard-to-notice areas, so it's possible to miss them. It's also hard to avoid places with ticks. They can be in the backyard as well as in the woods.

It would be a shame for people to avoid the outdoors, said Janet Coit, director of the Department of Environmental Management.

"Promoting enjoyment of Rhode Island's beautiful, historic parks and forest lands is core to our mission," Coit said. "We encourage people to get outside and connect with nature. But equally important is doing so safely. Being aware of the risk of Lyme disease and taking precautions to protect yourself against ticks are key while outdoors."

The method has three steps, according to Director of Health Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott: Use repellent, check for ticks and remove any that are found, she said. The state is also working to provide quality care for people who come down with it. But it's better to avoid Lyme in the first place.

"When it comes to Lyme disease, an ounce of prevention is absolutely worth a pound of cure," she said.

The same three steps works for the pets, too. Ask your veterinarian for the best tick repellent. (The grocery store products are not always safe.) Apply as required. Then check the pets for ticks and remove a found.

Approximately 900 Rhode Islanders are infected with Lyme disease each year. In 2014, Rhode Island had the fourth highest rate of Lyme disease in the country. Washington County, where there are more wooded and brushy areas with high grass, consistently has the highest rate of Lyme disease in Rhode Island. Ticks that carry Lyme disease are most prevalent in Rhode Island from May through September. In order to transmit Lyme disease to a human being, a tick has to be attached to the skin for 36 hours or more.

Per the health department, to help protect against Lyme disease, Rhode Islanders should:

• Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaves; (If you are going to be in wooded and brushy areas, spray your clothes with Permethrin to keep ticks away);

• Wear long pants and long-sleeve shirts when outdoors;

• Wear light-colored clothing, so that ticks can be more easily identified;

• Tuck your pants into their socks so that ticks do not crawl under clothing;

• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within 2 hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks;

• Check yourself, your family, and your pets daily for ticks, so that if attached, a tick is removed within a 24 hour period, which then makes Lyme disease much less likely;

• Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror if you have been in a grassy or wooded area.

Parents should check children carefully for ticks, including hidden locations like under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist and on the scalp and in hair.

If you find a tick, remove it with fine-tipped tweezers. Deer ticks, which carry Lyme disease, can be as small as a poppy seed and difficult to see during the spring and summer months when they have not yet fully developed.

Some people spray their property with insecticides. Everyone does not agree with that approach due to the environmental consequences. That's a particular concern in coastal communities because the chemicals can end up in the Bay. Here are some steps people can take without using pesticides.

1. Start by putting distance between tick habitat and people habitat. Deer ticks are not out in the middle of your mowed lawn. They live and thrive where yards border wooded areas or where there are ornamental plantings, gardens or areas that provide shade and moisture.

2. Create a 3-foot-wide buffer of stone, wood chips or other landscaping material to separate your lawn from tick-friendly areas — and to serve as reminders of the difference between areas where ticks are and likely aren't.

3. Move children's play areas away from tick habitat.

4. Create a tick-safe zone through landscaping.

5. Clear brush, leaf litter and other debris from lawns and the sides of trails.

6. Completely eradicate invasive vegetation, particularly Japanese barberry, honeysuckle and bittersweet. These plants provide excellent deer tick habitat.

7. Mow the lawn frequently and keep leaves raked.

8. Keep swings, slides and other children's outdoor play equipment away from yard edges and trees.

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria that spread through the bite of an infected tick that has been attached for at least 36 hours. Symptoms of new onset Lyme disease can include fever, a bull's-eye rash anywhere on the skin, facial or Bell's palsy (loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face), severe headaches and neck stiffness due to meningitis (inflammation of the spinal cord), pain and swelling in the large joints (such as knees), shooting pains that may interfere with sleep and heart palpitations and dizziness due to changes in heartbeat. If someone experiences any of these symptoms and has had a tick bite, they should contact their doctor about concerns for Lyme disease.

Charlene Arsenault (Patch Staff) contributed to this report