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 Highland Park (the park, not the neighborhood), which is the preferred host of deer ticks, so believe an associated increase in ticks is possible. The following is information I learned from the entomologist on staff with the County. 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 Allegheny County, reports of Lyme disease in our area are relatively low compared to other areas. 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 Penn State's website which had some technical information on ticks and Lyme disease: http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/ticks 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-County Building * 414 Grant Street * Pittsburgh PA 15219 * 412 255 2140 emily.keebler@city.pittsburgh.pa.us <mailto:emily.keebler@city.pittsburgh.pa.us> * www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/district7 <http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/district7>