St. Joseph County has documented more cases of Lyme disease in humans than any other county in Indiana. So, the arrival of tick season — that is, now — makes it super important to check our bodies and pets for those tiny buggers, some as small as a poppy seed.
This goes for hunters, anglers, wildflower-seekers and park visitors but, actually, for any of us roaming our yards.
The prospect of Lyme disease is no joke. About 47% of the adult ticks that the St. Joseph County Department of Health has collected since 2017 have tested positive for the bacteria that leads to Lyme disease, according to Brett Davis, who coordinates the county’s surveillance of disease-carrying insects.
Ticks are a threat to people and pets alike.
“We have an ungodly amount of Lyme disease,” he says of the county.
The county has documented 356 cases in humans from 2017 to 2024, which, he adds, is “severely underreported” because so many cases never get a formal diagnosis, Davis says.
Often, he explains, a doctor will see the tell-tale bullseye rash on a patient’s skin and simply prescribe the antibiotic doxycycline to effectively treat the disease — without doing a formal test, which can be costly.
If left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
But it’s also true that not all ticks carry disease.
Here’s what you need to know to stay safe.
A black-legged ticks, or deer ticks, collect in a vial held by Brett Davis, vector coordinator with the St. Joseph County Department of Health.
What’s up with the tick survey?
The health department has a quick, simple online survey for all St. Joseph County residents to gain a better grasp of local trends with ticks and tick-borne illnesses, even if you haven’t been bitten.
For example, it doesn’t have any real data on how many people have the alpha gal allergy, an allergy to red meat that you can get from the bite of a lone star tick. Davis says the county hasn’t yet found enough of that tick to say it’s established, though it has been found in adjacent counties.
Link to the survey here in the text of this column online.
This graphic from the website of the Centers for Disease Control identifies places people should check for ticks on themselves after coming indoors.
Why is there so much Lyme disease here?
Davis says he only has theories as to why. One is that St. Joseph County seems to be at a crossroads for wildlife. Deer and small mammals, who may transmit the infection via the black-legged tick (or deer tick), could travel from Michigan along the St. Joe River corridor. But maybe wildlife could also migrate through here from the south and west.
“We are trying to look at what makes St. Joseph County so special,” he says.
How do I know if I’ve got Lyme disease?
The bullseye target rash is a common sign, but you could also have the disease without that rash or with a different kind of rash, Davis says. Other symptoms may be a fever, headache or fatigue.
USA Today: Tick bites require vigilance, but they’re not always dangerous. What health experts want you to know
Why is timing important?
It takes 48 hours for the tick to attach to and infect you, he says. The antibiotic doxycycline can treat the disease, but that depends on how early you catch it.
Where do ticks lurk?
Ticks can be found in moist environments like grass, especially tall grasses, and in leaf litter. Davis says they prefer piles of oak leaves, which last longer and hold the moisture. (Ironically, native plant expert Doug Tallamy has touted oak trees as the best plant for harboring wildlife of all kinds.)
Without moisture, the tick can dry out.
Expert says: Tallamy: We can reverse native habitat loss, starting with bits of our yards
A black-legged tick, or deer tick, sits on the arm of Brett Davis, vector coordinator with the St. Joseph County Department of Health.
How do I check for ticks?
Speaking of moist environments, ticks like to nestle in parts of your body like in your armpits, belly button, waist, scalp and ears and between your legs and back of your knees. Check them even if you’ve worn long sleeves.
For pets, think similarly, including behind their collar and between their toes.
The CDC recommends pet owners check their pets for ticks daily.
How to remove a tick?
Invest in a pair of tweezers. Grab the tick straight on and pull up without twisting. With such a tiny insect, your fingernails won’t be able to get a good grab. Clean the wound and your hands afterwards with soap and water.
How to keep ticks off of my skin?
Wear long sleeves. Tuck your shirt in. Tuck your pants into your socks. Cover your hair with a hat. You can treat your clothing and shoes with permethrin, but not your skin. For your skin, the CDC recommends using repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD)or 2-undecanone.
Vaccine for pets?
If your pets spend time outside, consider asking your veterinarian to vaccinate them. There isn’t a vaccine for humans.
HUNTING: Sign up for safety classes
Michigan is offering hunter safety classes that you’ll need if you want to hunt in its spring turkey season, which is April 19 to June 7.
Hunters must finish an approved hunter safety course if they were born on or after Jan. 1, 1960.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources offers four options, each of which requires four hours of in-person instruction. There are traditional classroom-based courses. Also, two kinds of online courses and a take-home course are each followed by an in-person field day.
Once you complete the course and receive a certificate, it is valid for life.
“These classes build confidence and teach lifelong skills, such as firearm safety, wildlife and habitat management, and how to use a map and compass, to an average of 15,000 students every year,” Tom Wanless, the DNR’s recreational safety, education and enforcement supervisor, said.
Learn more and register at Michigan.gov/HunterEducation.
FISHING: Pro angler casts for top prize
Professional angler Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs will compete against 49 elite others for a top prize of $300,000 this week in the Redcrest national tournament at Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Ala.
From April 3 to 6, this Major League Fishing event is part of the Bass Pro Tour. Competitors will catch as many as they can each day, as the fish are immediately weighed and as the anglers’ rankings go up on a live leaderboard. There’s a two-pound minimum. The first two days will be qualifying rounds.
In his career, Nelson has claimed three wins and nearly $1 million in prize money. This will be his second time in a Redcrest tournament, according to a MLF press release.
You can follow the action through a livestream broadcast from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
It will eventually be broadcast on Discovery on July 5 and 19.
Learn about Saint Mary’s trees
Saint Mary’s College in South Bend will host a free day for the public to learn about its “living laboratory” of trees on campus on April 3 in the Haggar College Center. You’ll hear about everything from birds to poetry that the trees have spawned. It will showcase the research of students, faculty, staff and community members through a 70-year-old “Dedicated Tree Program.”
There will be workshops on birdsongs at 1 p.m., archival and oral histories at 2 p.m. and ecological benefits of trees at 3 p.m., plus a master naturalist presentation at 4 p.m. and walking tours at 5 p.m. A taco truck will serve free food with limited tickets for participants at 5 p.m. Multilingual poetry readings will start at 6:30 p.m. and a consortium on the “Past, Present and Future” at 7 p.m. Parking will be available in the Clubhouse parking lot on Madeleva Drive, off of the main entrance (The Avenue).
Spring astronomy
Learn about Roman and Greek mythology from a naturalist as you study constellations of stars through a telescope from 8 to 10 p.m. April 4 at Bonneyville Mill County Park in Bristol. Enjoy snacks and make a star chart to take home. Cost is $3. Preregistration is required at elkhartcountyparks.org.
Explore a dunes ridge
Join the Harbor Country Hikers at noon CDT April 5 to climb the Dunes National Park’s Dune Ridge Trail with views of wetlands and distant moraines. After the hike, the group will caravan to parts of the nearby Great Marsh. Meet at the Kemil Beach parking lot, one mile north of U.S. 12 on East State Park Road (County Road 300 East), Beverly Shores.
Beach birds, big views
A naturalist will lead a walk along the Indiana Dunes State Park beach, then climb up to the bird viewing tower atop a nearby bluff to look for migrating birds at 9 a.m. CDT April 6. You’ll learn about the bird migration data that’s collected here. Meet at the west side of the beach pavilion at this park in Chesterton.
Hear me talk at Wild Ones
The South Bend chapter of Wild Ones has asked me to talk about my observations “On the Native Plant Beat” at its meeting at 5 p.m. April 7 in the Pinhook Park Community Center, 2801 Riverside Drive, South Bend. After the group takes care of business, I’ll talk at 5:30 p.m., reflecting on my own experience with gardening, what I’ve seen locally as a reporter and what I’ve explored in natural areas near Pinhook. The meeting is free to the public. Wild Ones is a group that promotes native plants.
Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: How to protect self, pets against ticks Lyme disease St. Joseph County
