Ticks & Other Pests

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Ticks - Please Don't Feed Them

To view information about the 2017 Tick Forum, please click HERE .

What are Ticks?

Tick Picture

Ticks are arachnids or to most people “bugs” that can attach to humans and transmit germs that cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, and other tick borne diseases. The best way to protect yourself from getting a tick borne disease is to avoid ticks, remove ticks promptly and properly, and prevent ticks from infesting areas where you and your children play.

Avoiding Ticks:

Off Spray

Wear tick repellent

When walking in the woods wear light colored clothing, long sleeves, and long pants. Put your pants legs into your socks.

Check yourself and your kids for ticks when returning from being outdoors. Be especially watchful around the waist, the groin, and the neck.

If you see an attached tick you should safely remove the tick.

After safely removing the tick, document the location of attachment, the day the tick was removed and watch for signs of illness such as rash or fever. If you experience these symptoms see your health care provider and let them know you were recently bitten by a tick.

IMPORTANT: Early tick removal may reduce the risk of infection of some tick-borne diseases. Follow the steps below to safely remove ticks from animals and humans.

Removing Ticks

Use fine-tipped tweezers and protect hands with a tissue or gloves to avoid contact with tick fluids.

Grab the tick close to the skin. Do Not twist or jerk the tick, as this may cause the mouthparts to break off and remain on the skin.

Gently pull straight up until all parts of the tick are removed.

After removing tick, wash your hands with soap and water (or waterless alcohol-based hand rubs when soap is not available). Clean the tick bite with an antiseptic such as iodine scrub, rubbing alcohol, or water containing detergents. Document the location of attachment, the day the tick was removed and watch for signs of illness such as rash or fever. If you experience these symptoms see your health care provider and let them know you were recently bitten by a tick.

For more information about ticks for kids:

Don't Let the Ticks Bite - a slide show for children

For more information about ticks for adults:

Board of Health Presentation on Tick-Borne Illness in Chatham County (March 2016)

Ticks-Adults Slide Show Presentation

Brochure: Tick-Borne Diseases in North Carolina

Poster: Protect Yourself from Ticks & Tick Borne Illness

Poster: Do You Feel ILL After Exposure to Ticks or Ticks Habitats?

Para información sobre garrapatas, por favor visite la página Web de CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/toolkit/index.html

Pest Education & Management

A vector is any organism that can transmit disease-causing agents, such as a virus or bacterium. Control of the vector can prevent and control some diseases. However, in order to control vectors, detailed knowledge must be acquired about their life cycle, preferred hosts and transmission cycles as well as surveillance of populations and habitats.

Most vector-borne diseases in the U.S. are animal diseases that are sometimes spread to humans. Often the disease in humans is worse than in the animals. Different vectors may spread the disease from animal to animal or from animal to humans. Such vectors include but are not limited to: mosquitoes, flies, fleas, ticks, lice and bedbugs.

By educating the community, Chatham County Environmental Health hopes to reduce the spread of vector borne diseases.

For more information, please click on the links:

Bedbugs Bed bugs 2