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Risks of Lyme disease rise with urban tick population

JANESVILLE — A new report is quashing the common thought that deer ticks are found only "up north."

UW-Madison entomologist Susan Paskewitz conducted a deer tick census last fall that showed deer ticks—the type known for carrying Lyme disease—are finding homes around the state's most heavily populated areas.

"Pretty much everywhere in Wisconsin is infested now," she said in a news release. "The only place we're not getting them is down (in the very southeast corner of the state) near Bong Recreational Area."

Paskewitz predicts officials will see an increase in bites among city dwellers who frequent natural areas outside the city limits, as well as suburban homeowners with properties abutting wooded areas.

"They are here in our area," said Tim Banwell, environmental health director for the Rock County Health Department.

Last year, Rock County recorded four confirmed cases of Lyme disease and one probable case while Walworth County had seven confirmed cases and two probable, according to data from the state Division of Public Health. However, the Rock County Health Department reported 16 confirmed cases last year, Banwell said.

The Centers for Disease Control changed its reporting requirements last year, so previous years had only case totals. In 2007, Rock County had 12 cases while Walworth County had seven, and in 2006, Rock had 11 cases while Walworth had two.

The first thing people should do when coming indoors is always check themselves for ticks, said Diep Hoang Johnson, vectorborne disease coordinator for the state Division of Public Health.

Ticks usually will not transmit bacteria into a person's skin until its been attached to a person for 24 hours or more, she said.

Banwell and Hoang Johnson recommended people:

-- Protect themselves when outside. That means using insect repellant and wearing long sleeves and pants tucked into socks when they're in the woods, etc.

-- Pull a tick straight out. If a person finds one in his skin, he should use a tweezers to pull it straight so nothing breaks off.

-- See a doctor if symptoms show up after finding a tick. Signs of Lyme disease include flu-like symptoms and a bull's-eye shaped rash.

Paskewitz first led a deer tick census in 1994, which showed deer ticks already were established in the western two-thirds of the state.

"In Wisconsin, people sort of feel like they already know this story. They know there's Lyme disease here, but one thing this (survey) points out is that it's not a static situation," Paskewitz said. "What your risk was 20 years ago may not be what your risk is today. It may have significantly increased, so you should not be blasé if you get a tick on you."

To help or get more information

To participate in the Lyme disease awareness campaign, call Lisa Hilton of Pell Lake at (262) 745-8326.

She also has brochures and other information about the disease in a dispenser outside her home at W1038 Geranium Road, Pell Lake.