Don't let the ticks bite

Ticks are a real problem where I live, which is not all that far from Lyme, Connecticut, which gave Lyme Disease its name. Once farmland, it's now covered with second-growth trees, which attack the deer, which have no predators after them.

We have our property sprayed for ticks. When our kids were little, we'd strip them down and examine every square inch of flesh, looking for a little black dot no larger than a pencil point.

Now, it seems, disease-bearing ticks are spreading. The Wall Street Journal reports:

Reported cases of Lyme, the most prevalent of tick-borne diseases, have risen sharply over the last decade, with 35,198 cases in 2008 compared with 13,000 cases in 2000. The CDC says because of under-reporting, the actual number of cases may be three times as high. Though still largely a problem in the Northeast and upper Midwest, Lyme is turning up all over the U.S. If not correctly diagnosed and treated, Lyme can cause chronic joint inflammation, neurological symptoms such as facial palsy, impaired memory and heart-rhythm irregularities.

Other tick-borne illnesses, though less widespread, are also on the rise. In 2008, there were 2,563 reported cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever , compared with 579 in 1999. The fever can be quickly fatal unless treated with a powerful antibiotic. Last May, Wisconsin and Minnesota warned about a new species of the tick-borne bacteria ehrlichia, not previously found in North America, which can cause flu-like illness. The disease is transmitted by lone star ticks, which have spread to more states in recent years and are also linked to a new illness, called STARI, for southern tick-associated rash illness. 

There are things you can do outside to lessen the risk, the Centers for Disease Control says.

Studies by Kirby Stafford, chief entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, show that 82% of ticks on a property are within three yards of the lawn perimeter, particularly along woodlands, stone walls, and ornamental plantings.Dr. Stafford's recommendations include making a barrier of wood chips made of cedar—a natural tick repellent—between wooded areas or stone walls and lawns heavily used by the family, keeping pets out of woods, and avoiding vegetation that attracts deer. 

More advice on making your home safe here. Oh, if you think we were nutty about checking the kids, here's what the CDC recommends:

Check your children for ticks, especially in the hair, when returning from potentially tick-infested areas. Check these parts of your body and your child's body for ticks:

• Under the arms
• In and around the ears
• Inside belly button
• Back of the knees
• Under the arms
• In and around the hair
• Between the legs
• Around the waist

Well, it's something to do.