This year's tick season comes along with threats of the spread of tick-borne diseases. A treatment company reveals the U.S. cities that are pestered with the most tick problems.
Top Tick-Pestered US Cities
Recently, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report revealed a triple in the number of tick-borne diseases cases from 2004 to 2016. These include the more common tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease to the rarer diseases such as Alpha-Gal syndrome, which causes an incurable meat allergy.
As the tick season continues, Memphis-based lawn care maintenance and treatment company TruGreen released the list of U.S. cities that are most affected or pestered by ticks. They gathered their data between January and December 2017.
The cities that topped the list are Chicago, Illinois, followed by Hartford, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; New Monmouth, New Jersey; and Washington DC. Rapid City in South Dakota was the sixth on the list, followed by Boise, Idaho; Dayton, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and St. Louis, Missouri.
Evidently, these ten cities are the ones with the highest demand for tick control services, with Chicago as the top tick-pestered city in the country. That’s not saying that the cities not on the list aren’t pestered by ticks and could therefore loosen tick prevention practices. The list merely shows which cities required the most tick prevention services from January to December 2017, therefore suggesting that they have the most tick problems.
“Many people believe that ticks do not survive the winter, but ticks are extremely resilient and seek shelter in decaying foliage until temperatures rise,” said John Bell, entomologist and regional technical manager at TruGreen.
Ticks In The United States
Various tick species actually inhabit many states, with certain states more susceptible to certain tick species than others. For instance, the American dog tick, which can transmit Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, is widespread in the east of the Rocky Mountains and in certain areas of the Pacific Coast. The blacklegged tick, which can be a carrier of babesiosis, Lyme disease, and Powassan virus among other tick-borne diseases, is widespread in the northeastern and upper midwestern United States. Ticks are most active from the months of May through July.
As such, it is important to take precautions so as to prevent loved ones and pets from getting tick bites. These may include avoiding places where ticks may be found, spraying clothes with permethrin, cleaning and protecting the home against ticks, and checking the pets for ticks daily, especially after going outdoors.
