Needham's Public Health Division is urging residents to guard against tick bites this summer after federal data showed emergency room visits for tick encounters reached their highest level in seven years.
Julie McCarthy, assistant director of the Needham Public Health Division and a former Tufts University School of Medicine researcher on tick-borne illness, laid out the risks in a July 27 advisory published by Needham Local. The advisory noted that ticks as small as a poppyseed can spread serious disease by latching onto humans, pets, and other animals.
The guidance targets hikers, dog walkers, and campers but stresses that even residents who don't consider themselves outdoorsy should take precautions.
Why this season is different
In an April report, the CDC said weekly ER visits for tick bites were the highest for that point in the season since 2017 in every U.S. region except the South Central states. The Northeast, including Massachusetts, recorded the highest rates. Nationally, an estimated 31 million Americans are bitten by a tick each year, and roughly 476,000 are treated for Lyme disease annually.
The trend has not let up. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials confirmed that hospital visits for tick bites remained above average as of late July.
Blacklegged ticks, the primary Lyme carrier in the Northeast, doubled the number of U.S. counties where they are considered established between 1996 and 2015, according to CNN reporting on the expanding range of tick-borne threats. Lyme, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis are all rising sharply.
Alison Hinckley, a CDC epidemiologist and Lyme disease expert, said in April that simple steps like wearing repellent and performing tick checks can go a long way in protecting families from tick-borne disease, and urged anyone who develops a rash or fever after a bite to seek medical care promptly.
What residents should do
The CDC recommends these steps to reduce risk:
- Apply EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 to exposed skin.
- Wear permethrin-treated clothing when hiking or working in tall grass.
- Perform a full-body tick check after any time outdoors.
- Shower within two hours of coming inside.
- Remove any attached tick promptly with fine-tipped tweezers.
Speed matters. Removing a tick within 24 hours can help prevent Lyme disease transmission, according to the CDC.
The advisory follows other summer health warnings from Needham officials, including a state cyanobacteria advisory for the Charles River issued July 24 that affected both Needham and Dedham waterfront areas.
Residents with questions can contact the Needham Public Health Division at (781) 455-7940 or [email protected].
