Pennsylvania officials warn of uptick in hard-to-spot ticks as summer wears on

The state Department of Environmental Protection has collected twice as many small, immature ticks in Pennsylvania this year compared to last year, prompting warnings for residents to check themselves thoroughly after outdoor activities.

Blacklegged tick nymphs, or ticks that are not fully grown, pose an even greater risk when it comes to tick-borne diseases than their fully grown counterparts, said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell.

“These are ticks that are so small, they resemble a poppy seed, so they’re very, very hard to see,” McDonnell said. “You have to be very diligent in looking for these.”

A survey of more than 5,000 adult blacklegged ticks in Pennsylvania – including at least 50 in each county – showed 58% were carrying Lyme disease. Of the nymphs, 27% were carrying the disease.

As summer rolls on, it is important to note that ticks are most active during the warmer months, said the acting physician general, Dr. Denise Johnson.

“This year in particular, we are seeing increases in the number of Lyme disease reports across the state, and clinicians are reporting that they are seeing more cases of other tick-borne diseases,” Johnson said.

The Tick Research Lab, based in East Stroudsburg, said 33% of the more than 33,600 deer ticks they’ve tested have been infected with Lyme disease. About 2% of the non-deer ticks tested had the disease.

Both deer ticks and non-deer ticks carry other diseases as well. For example, 16% of non-deer ticks tested by the Tick Research Lab were infected with Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a tick-borne disease that causes a rash but can also be potentially fatal.

“As tick-borne diseases are becoming more prevalent in Pennsylvania, it is critical to be aware of the risks and be prepared when spending time outdoors year-round, whether that is visiting one of our 121 state parks, hiking our more than 2.2 million acres of state forestland, or enjoying your own backyard,” said Cindy Dunn, secretary of the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Medical experts at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh noted last week there has been a “dramatic increase” in Lyme diseases cases among children – up 50% compared to 2018 and 2020, the hospital’s previous record years, said Dr. Andrew Nowalk, the hospital’s clinical director of infectious diseases.

“Fortunately, children have excellent responses to antibiotics and treatment completely eliminates the infection,” Nowalk said. “However, especially in older children and those infected for a longer period of time prior to diagnosis, symptoms can persist after treatment due to damage from infection. These symptoms do not require more antibiotics but can be very challenging to deal with in many patients.”

Officials offered precautions that can be taken to guard against tick-borne diseases:

• Cover exposed skin with lightweight and light-colored clothing.
• Avoid tick hot spots like tall grass and dense shrubbery.
• Use insect repellent.
• Check clothing for ticks before returning to one’s car or home and, once home, do a thorough check of oneself, children and pets.
• Shower immediately to get rid of any ticks that are not attached.
• Run clothing through the dryer on a hot setting to kill any ticks hanging on.