DHS Monitoring Continues to Show High Levels of Tick Activity Statewide

With tick activity reaching its peak for the season, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) continues to closely monitor tick activity, with the most recent surveillance data showing nymphal deer (blacklegged) ticks are currently driving the trend. Nymphal deer ticks are young (not yet adult) ticks known for being very small—about the size of a poppyseed—and for spreading more human tickborne infections than adult deer ticks, including Lyme disease and other illnesses.

"Nymphal ticks are harder to spot due to their small size, making them more likely to go unnoticed, and remain attached for longer, so they have a higher potential to transmit disease," said Vectorborne Disease Epidemiologist Rebecca Osborn. "Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent tick bites, including using insect repellent, wearing clothes and gear that have been treated with permethrin, and doing daily tick checks when you are outdoors."

To understand tick activity in Wisconsin, DHS conducts a bi-weekly sampling at sites in Iowa County, Lincoln County, and Waupaca County. DHS conducts "tick dragging," where the DHS public health entomologist pulls a squared cloth drag through vegetation and checks for ticks at 15-meter intervals.

"Sampling in local communities helps us gather data to better understand where ticks are, how many we see, and then provide information to help people understand any risk for illness. We provide the tick data we collect through new tick surveillance reports," said Public Health Entomologist Xia Lee. "In addition to tick dragging, DHS closely monitors emergency department data for people seeking medical care for tick bite-related concerns and shares the data through an interactive tick bite tracker."

If Wisconsinites do find a tick on themselves, family, or friends, and want to learn more about it, they can submit it to DHS through the DHS Tick Identification Service, a fast and simple service to identify the tick based on a few questions and photographs submitted online.

For Wisconsinites who plan to enjoy the outdoors, DHS recommends they:

• Wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks when outdoors to help keep ticks away from skin. Wear light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to spot.
• Apply insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 to exposed skin and clothing.
• Treat clothing with permethrin prior to heading outdoors. Do not apply permethrin directly to skin.
• Walk in the center of trails and avoid wooded and brushy areas with tall grass and leaf litter.
• Do daily tick checks after being outdoors in areas where ticks may be present.
  • Check all parts of the body carefully. Pay special attention to the armpits, behind the knees, scalp, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, and groin.
  • Parents should check their children for ticks.
• Take a bath or shower within two hours of spending time outdoors to help find and remove any ticks.
• Place your clothes in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks you may have picked up after spending time outdoors.

DHS recommends anyone who finds a tick:

• Remove the tick properly as soon as possible.
• Grasp it with a narrow-bladed tweezer as close as possible to the skin using steady pressure. If tweezers are not available, they should use fingers shielded with tissue paper or rubber gloves.
• Use rubbing alcohol or soap and water after removing the tick to clean the bite site and hands.
• Take a picture of the tick to identify it. Never crush a tick after removing it. Get rid of the tick by one of the following:
  • Putting it in alcohol.
  • Placing it in a sealed bag or container.
  • Wrapping it tightly in tape.
  • Flushing it down the toilet.

Even if a person has not noticed a tick bite, it is possible they have been bitten and did not know it. Anyone who has spent time outdoors, especially in areas with woods or tall grass, and develops flu-like illness, such as fever, rash, body aches, headache, and fatigue, should talk to a health care provider about the possibility of tickborne disease.

Not all tick bites will make someone sick, but it's important for Wisconsinites to protect themselves and their families while enjoying time outdoors. The best way to stay safe from diseases that are spread by ticks is to prevent tick bites. Find information about ticks, illnesses that can be spread by ticks, and ways to Fight the Bite on the DHS website.