East Idaho Reports More Tick Encounters After Mild Winter, Urges 20% DEET Precautions
Updated
Updated · KSL.com · Jun 1
East Idaho Reports More Tick Encounters After Mild Winter, Urges 20% DEET Precautions
7 articles · Updated · KSL.com · Jun 1
East Idaho residents are reporting more tick encounters this year, with University of Idaho Extension saying hikers have generated a surge of calls after a mild winter boosted tick survival.
At least 20% DEET repellent, long light-colored clothing, avoiding tall grass, and full body checks on people, pets and clothing are the main prevention steps being urged.
A 3-foot wood-chip or gravel barrier, trimmed vegetation and proper firewood storage can also cut tick activity around homes, while attached ticks should be removed with fine-tipped tweezers close to the skin.
The Idaho warning fits a broader US surge in tick activity this season after unusual winter weather, with CDC data showing 71 per 100,000 emergency room visits in April were for tick bites.
As climate change fuels a record tick season, are personal precautions like bug spray enough to combat this public health crisis?
A new Lyme vaccine is coming, but will its limited protection and demanding schedule truly solve the tick crisis?
With ticks transmitting multiple diseases at once, are we overlooking the bigger threat of complex 'coinfections'?