PA Issues Tick Warning, Compares Lyme Disease To Coronavirus

Justin Heinze
Updated ·2 min read

PENNSYLVANIA — Tick season is here in Pennsylvania, and the Department of Health is warning residents that symptoms of Lyme disease, transmitted through tick bites, are often similar to those of coronavirus.

Shared symptoms betwee the two include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and more.

"It is essential that all residents know the proper ways to protect themselves against ticks and are aware of the dangerous diseases they can carry," Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said in a statement. "We want all Pennsylvanians to get outside and be healthy but do so in the safest way possible."

Levine added that there's been an increase in the number of emergency room visits due to tick bites over the last few months.

Preliminary data showed there were more than 8,500 cases of Lyme disease reported in Pennsylvania in 2019, and the final count could be much higher. Ticks are common throughout the state, and can be found anwyhere from woods, trails, and public parks, to your own backyard.

Not all ticks carry disease, and ticks usually must be affixed to the body for 36 to 48 hours in order to transmit any disease, according to the CDC. The blacklegged tick, also known as deer tick, which carries Lyme, is present in all 67 counties in Pennsylvania.

Officials recommend the following measures to prevent Lyme disease:

  • Walk in the center of trails

  • Avoid areas of high grass and leaves

  • Wear light-colored clothing

  • Conduct full-body tick checks on yourself and your pets

  • Take a bath or shower within two hours after coming indoors

You can also apply a bug repellent that's registered by the Environmental Protection Agency

Lyme disease can appear within two days after a bite, or can take up to 30 days for symptoms to manifest.

When ticks hatch from eggs, they have to "eat blood at every stage to survive," according to the CDC. They range in size from less than one-eighth of an inch up to about five-eighth of an inch. And they find their hosts like a highly skilled assassin, detecting breath, body odor, body heat, moisture and vibration.

"Some species can even recognize a shadow," the CDC wrote. "In addition, ticks pick a place to wait by identifying well-used paths. Then they wait for a host, resting on the tips of grasses and shrubs."

Once on the skin, the tick inserts its feeding tube, which sometimes has barbs to keep the bug in place. Many species also secrete a cement-like substance to keep them firmly attached.

If you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible using fine-tipped tweezers. Make sure to pull straight up with steady, even pressure to ensure part of the tick doesn't break off in the skin. Once it's out, clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

This article originally appeared on the Phoenixville Patch