Warren County Health Services has created a new website to compile data about local tick encounters, to allow residents and visitors to report tick contacts for a public map and database.
The new website, developed in partnership with Warren County Department of Planning & Community Development, allows those who are bitten by the tiny insects or find them on their clothes or gear in Warren County to document the sightings for informational purposes. The new “Ticks in Warren County, NY” website can be found at https://tinyurl.com/WCtickreports.
The website asks those making reports to note the time and place of the tick encounter and identify the type of tick if possible. The reports, which are made anonymously, are publicly searchable by time, place and type of tick.
Ginelle Jones, Warren County Director of Health Services, said the website was the brainchild of Olivia Cohen, a Senior Public Health Educator who oversees tick illness reports for Warren County Public Health.
“Every year our staff fields dozens of calls from residents about ticks, and we get reports more frequently of serious tick-borne illnesses like babesiosis and anaplasmosis that were not common in the past,” Ginelle Jones explained. “This new website asks our residents and visitors to be citizen scientists, to allow us to collect data so we can easily let people know if certain areas of Warren County have larger populations of ticks this year.”
While ticks can be present in back yards and in virtually any grassy or brushy area, they are generally more prevalent in tall grass and wooded areas. Ticks are vulnerable to cold temperatures, but populations have grown in northern regions in recent years as winters have become milder.
Consequently, reports of people and pets being infected with tick-borne illnesses continue to increase in New York, and many of the diseases can lead to serious illness or death if left untreated.
Preventing a tick bite is the best weapon against tick-borne illnesses.
When heading outdoors into tick habitats, our Public Health team recommends:
- Use insect repellent
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, and tuck pant legs into socks
- Treat outdoor clothing with permethrin, a tick repellent
- Wear light-colored clothing to spot ticks more easily
- Perform a full body check and shower after being outdoors
- Check any gear you wore (shoes, backpacks, etc.) as well as your pets for ticks
- Contact your medical provider if you are bitten by a tick
Warren County Public Health will also hold a series of public educational events focusing on ticks in May, with the scheduled to be announced when finalized.
For more information about tick-borne diseases, and what to do after a tick bite, log on to www.warrencountyny.gov/healthservices/ticks.
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