Ticks transmit a range of serious illnesses, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. They do this through bites, and their small size makes them easy to miss until they've been attached long enough to transmit pathogens.
Ticks may seem like a minor annoyance. But the diseases they carry can make encounters with them risky, especially in places like Southeast Pennsylvania where tick-borne illness is more common than most of the rest of the country.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the United States. It’s more common in Pennsylvania than most other states. It’s often transmitted by blacklegged ticks, which are common in the area.
Early signs of Lyme disease include a bullseye rash (common, but not required), fever, fatigue, headache, and joint pain. If untreated, Lyme disease can worsen and lead to symptoms like chronic joint inflammation, or even neurological or cardiac problems. Early antibiotic treatment is highly effective, which means if you experience symptoms that might be Lyme disease, it’s a good idea to seek treatment quickly.
Also transmitted by blacklegged ticks: anaplasmosis and babesiosis. These are becoming more common in the Northeast. Anaplasmosis is known to cause fever, headache, and muscle pain, posing an added risk to older adults or those with weakened immune systems. Babesiosis is a parasitic infection that attacks red blood cells and can be life-threatening for immunocompromised individuals.
Powassan virus is rarer but alarming. Unlike Lyme disease, which typically requires 24 or more hours of attachment for transmission, Powassan can be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes. There is no specific treatment, and severe cases can cause encephalitis with lasting neurological damage.
Arguably the most dangerous aspect about ticks is that they’re hard to spot. Nymphal ticks (the juveniles) are most responsible for Lyme disease transmission because they are really hard to spot. They are about the size of poppy seeds and can often be found in areas like the hairline, behind the ears, and along the waistband. People often don’t know they’ve been bitten until symptoms develop days later.
If you are a homeowner in Southeast Pennsylvania, you may want to reduce the presence of ticks on your property. If this is the case,Mosquito Squad of Southeast PA's tick control program can help through barrier treatments. These are applied directly to the shaded, high-risk zones across your yard where ticks concentrate. Reducing the population on your property is the most direct way to lower your family's exposure.
