Lyme Cases Skyrocket Across New Hampshire

[Joey Keyz]

Article from the Concord Monitor Newspaper click here

Looks like it's gonna be a bad one this year in the Whites.
Any suggestions on what's the best repellents to use and
how to avoid these nasty little buggers while hiking?
(I try to go with un-scented products if possible)

[Joey Keyz]

I thought somebody would reply to this thread.

I never had a tick on me......at least not that I know of.
How do you look for ticks that are the size of a pin head?

[Steve M]

One thing that bothers me with the media in general is the FEAR factor that they throw out there. They can't just simply report the facts in a manner that doesn't generate and emotional response. There is too much fear generated unnecessarily. This is what I see in this article, with the fear removed,
"If you're bitten by the correct species of tick, and it's an adult, and it bites you for more than 30 or 36 hours, you probably have something on the order of a 50 to 60 percent chance of getting the disease, which sounds pretty high to me." (Not really because all the criteria must be met before the 50 - 60% kicks in.)The high rate of infection indicates that the ticks have been in the area for a longer time than previously thought, he said.

But experts stress that the disease is preventable. Dr. Geoffrey Fitzgerald, chairman of the emergency department at Concord Hospital, said ticks generally need to stay on the body(biting you) for 24 to 48 hours in order to transmit the saliva that causes Lyme disease.

"Chances are, if you remove it, it's a done deal," Fitzgerald said.

I'm not trying to make light of the fact that we should be cautious but we should not be fearful.

[Joey Keyz]

Your right Steve, it did put a bit more concern as to my thinking about ticks. Like I said, I never had any problem with them.

So what's your opinion......just keep a good amount of repellent on your skin and clothing, and that should be fine?

[Steve M]

Just take the normal, necessary precautions and enjoy your day. We usually take the time when we get back to the car to go over ourselves and each other and remove any ticks we find. It's helpful to have someone there to check your head since it's more difficult to do it yourself. If your camping, don't go to sleep in the clothes you have worn during the day. Check yourself and your sleeping bag before you get in bed. I have found ticks in my sleeping bag with me.
Something else I have found about ticks is that they rarely bite right away, usually they will walk around on you for a while, looking for a suitable place to bite you. Most of the time you will feel them and have the opportunity to remove them. Sometimes you don't feel them before they bite. For me the key is just to be mindful of their presence in the woods and to check yourself out when your done hiking.

[Joey Keyz]

Thanks for your reply Steve.

I usually hike alone, so I guess I'll have to wait until I get home to have my wife check my scalp.

But what about your arms and legs........you can actually see these little buggers crawling on you?

In my 5 years of hiking and climbing, I never even gave this issue a second thought.

[Steve M]

Yes, you should be able to see them on your arms and legs, especially an adult tick. Remember it's the adult (deer) tick that carries the disease. Another thing about ticks is even though they will bite the arms and legs and scalp, they prefer places warm and tender, such as your thighs, genital area, and armpits so check these areas out as well.

[rockin rex]

I hike with my kids all the time and the kids have ticks on them quite often. They know exactly what a tick looks like and if they see one they let me know. When we get home I throw their clothes in the wash machine in case any ticks are on the clothes. I then check the kids over to make sure there are none on their bodies then into the shower they go. As long as you do a complete tick check after each hike you should have no problems. There is no reason to fear ticks unless they attach.

[WEMT]

...and Lyme disease is treatable, if caught early, virtually trivial with a couple of antibiotics.

This is NOT to understress that care must be taken.

Hint: ANY bite that seems not to heal and disappear in the "normal" time (varies from person to person) should be checked by a doctor.

I'm careful, I check and get checked, I got Lyme disease. Spotted it early, no symptoms.

[FisherCat]

While growing up in NH ticks were never a problem, and I spent all my time behind our cabin in the woods in Jefferson and over on Hardwood Ridge never once was there one on me or my brother. There is definitely a fear factor involved. I now live in PA (what a dump, I can't wait to get back to NH)and the woods here are supposedly "full" of ticks. I've spent 7 years here volunteering at a state Environmental Education Center and doing some hunting and have only ever found 3 ticks. All ticks were at the EEC and only when I went off trail. I saw in my copy of the Coos County Democrat that some were found over at Pondicherry, that's a shame. However, it was in the more grassy areas. Most hikers are very in-tune with their bodies, almost all can perceive a bit of leaf or spider web in their hair, hence you can also feel a tick crawling on you pretty easily. Definitely agree with earlier posting,they like warm, moist areas, check the pits and groin areas.
As wildlife habitat decreases animals which carry ticks are being compressed into close quarters with humans. Hopefully this doesn't happen to my beloved NH. We spent a whole week last year doing trailwork on the Osseo Trail and despite being in the brush and puckers off trail still never had a single tick find.