JACKSON, Wyo. — In recognition of Tick Bite Prevention Week, running from Sunday, March 24 to Saturday, March 30, Teton County Weed & Pest District is urging residents to take steps to avoid tick bites and tick-borne diseases.
According to Weed & Pest, mosquitoes kill more people than any other animal through vector-borne diseases worldwide, but in the United States 77% of vector-borne diseases are transmitted by ticks. More than 40,000 individuals are diagnosed with a tick-borne disease each year in the United States.
Pathogens that cause diseases such as Colorado Tick Fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and tick paralysis can be spread when an infected tick bites a host. Hosts can include humans, pets and other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
“Wyoming, and Sublette County in particular, has historically had the highest incidence rate of Colorado Tick Fever in the United States,” Teton County Weed & Pest District Entomologist Mikenna Smith said via press release. “It is important to protect yourself and your pets from tick bites and tick-borne diseases whenever you are outdoors in our region.”
Remove an attached tick as soon as possible to prevent or reduce pathogen transmission. Use fine-point tweezers to remove the tick in a steady motion, then clean the area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
To prevent tick bites, Weed & Pest suggests taking the following precautions: apply EPA-registered insect repellent, wear loose-fitting, long clothing, walk in the center of trails to prevent contact with ticks, check regularly for ticks, shower within two hours of coming indoors to dislodge ticks, tumble dry clothes on high for 10 minutes to kill ticks and check pets daily.
Additional information about ticks and tick-borne diseases in Teton County can be seen here.
