With a surge in tick activity, Wisconsinites can help scientists learn more about various species and potential diseases they can carry.
Tick-borne illnesses remain elusive, even though they're among the fastest-growing vector-borne public health threats. The most common is Lyme disease, which affects an estimated 500,000 Americans each year.
Alexandra Linz, staff scientist at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, said the Tick Inventory via Citizen Science project helps identify local tick activity. People can send in samples of the insects for scientists to study. Linz noted the institute mostly receives adult ticks but all life stages carry risk of disease.
"Ticks and their diseases have a huge impact on people's lives," Linz explained. "Most people have either had a tick-borne disease or know someone who has. So if one of the things people learn from our program is just an increased awareness in tick-borne disease prevention, we're very happy about that."
Research from the institute shows potentially half of adult female deer ticks in Wisconsin carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Even though there have been reports of a spike in tick bites, Linz pointed out the institute has not received an increase in submissions. To request a kit to send in a tick, people can email TICS@marshfieldclinic.org.
Linz cautioned a high pathogen prevalence in ticks does not translate to a higher chance of developing Lyme disease after a tick bite. Many factors contribute to disease development. Still, Linz added this time of year, smaller ticks called nymphs are most active and they are the size of a sesame seed. Experts said if one carries a pathogen, most people do not know they have been bitten until they start developing symptoms.
"Doing things like avoiding tick habitat, wearing tall socks and long pants and long-sleeve shirts and tucking everything into everything else, even though it looks dorky, means ticks have to crawl all the way up to get to your skin," Linz outlined.
Mosquitoes have also been especially active this summer. This month, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services confirmed the first West Nile virus activity.
Dr. Joydip Roy, market chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare of the Mid-Atlantic, said seeing a doctor as soon as any symptoms develop is key to staying on top of disease progression.
"Where it becomes important when to seek medical care is when you start having other symptomologies where you have headaches, visual changes, confusion, rashes that develop, or if it starts swelling up and redness is spreading, definitely want to seek medical care," Roy advised.
Linz emphasized doing tick checks when you come in from outdoors is important. As summer begins to wind down, the fall season carries risks of adult tick surges. Linz stressed the institute does not want to scare people away from being outside, just to keep an eye out for insects that could make them sick.
UnitedHealthcare contributes to our fund for reporting on health care.
