Due to the recent emails regarding ticks, I contacted the
Allegheny County Health Department in order to make sure that everyone has
information on this topic. In addition, I forwarded the summary of your
reports to several individuals in the Department of Public Works who deal with
parks. They responded that they have noted an increase in the number of
deer in
Prevention
If you are going to be walking in the woods or another
potentially tick-infested area, you should wear tall boots and long pants.
The best tick repellants are those that contain permethrin. However, this
should NOT be applied to human skin – instead to shoes and pants.
It can be applied to a dog’s coat.
If you think you have ticks in your own yard, you can
purchase pesticides at most hardware stores. If you don’t know if you
have ticks in your yard, you can put thick, tall white socks on (and tuck your
pants into them) and walk around in your yard. Ticks will be attracted to
the white socks and easy to spot on them. (Just to clarify, this is not a
recommendation of the Council Office, but what I was told by the entomologist.)
Tick Bites
If you have been bit by a tick, you should try to remove the
tick and save it in a pill container in 70% alcohol or freeze it. If you
were able to save the tick, you should mark the date of exposure on the
container. If not, you should mark the date of the bite on a calendar or
somewhere you will remember. If you develop any signs of illness in the weeks
following the bite, you should go to the doctor. If you have signs of a
rash, you should take a picture of the area (in case it fades before you can
show a doctor). If there is any suspicion of lyme disease, the doctor
will report it to the Allegheny County Health Department and will send them the
specimen if you were able to save it (or you can do so).
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease can be carried by what we known as the deer
tick, but is also called the blacklegged tick. Although this is the most
common type of tick in
The County’s entomologist said that there is a lot of
good information about ticks online, particularly on webpages associated with universities.
I found the following page on
Finally, to end on a bright note, he also informed me that ticks
become dormant once temperatures drop below freezing, so we should not have to
worry about them for the next several months.
Emily Keebler · Office of Patrick Dowd
· Pittsburgh City Council District 7
510
City-
emily.keebler@city.pittsburgh.pa.us
· www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/district7