Just what we need, another fatal virus to be on the lookout for. Except this time, it’s spread through a tick called the lone star tick. The CDC reports heartland virus is likely spread by the this tick. As of September 2018, more than 40 cases of this virus have been reported in the United States.
“They are traditionally known to be present in the southern United States, but in the past decade they have been moving northward,” Dr. Saravanan Thangamani said.
Dr. Thangamani is the director of the SUNY Center for Environmental Health and Medicine, as well as Vector Biology Laboratories. He has been researching and surveilling ticks for the past 12 years.
“This is what made us think that in the next few years we will see these lone star ticks establishing themselves in Central New York,” Dr. Thangamani said.
The reason why they are moving northward may have to do with climate change, deer migration and homes that are in rural areas where ticks typically live.
The major concern he has about these ticks is, a single tick transmits multiple diseases.
“It’s primarily known to cause bacterial disease but in the last six or seven years, two new viruses have been identified to come from this tick that are known to cause fatal disease,” he said.
To prevent yourself from getting bitten by ticks especially during the warmer months when people are doing outdoor activities, Dr. Thangamani recommends using a bug repellent that contains Permethrin, which is what he uses.
“Start by spraying your shoes and move upward on your clothes. Stick the bottom of your pant in your socks to prevent these ticks from crawling up underneath your pant leg,” he said.
He stresses the importance of daily tick checks especially if you are an active outdoors person. This includes, wash your clothes in hot water as soon as you come home and tumble dry in high heat. This will kill the tick.
“Take a shower and do a tick check on your body. Primarily check the back of your neck, under the arms and around the belly button and the groin area because ticks like to hide in moist dark areas,” the doctor said.
Dr. Thangamani can pinpoint which areas in Central New York has the highest prevalence for ticks through a tracker on his website. If you are interested in finding out if your neighborhood is on the list, click here.
