Lyme disease: Symptoms and how to protect yourself and your pets
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pennsylvania is an annual leader in the number of Lyme disease cases across the country.
Some experts are trying to find out why and how we can cut that number down.
Ticks are pests that can cause Lyme disease. Erinne Puvogel of Greenfield knows this all too well. Her husband had a bite last year that turned into Lyme disease.
"We caught it early. He had the typical bullseye mark. I was glad that he had that because some people don't," she said.
She takes extra precautions with her children when they go outside.
"We check the hair, and all the skin and everything," Puvogel said.
Experts agree that is a good measure as a thorough screening can prevent disease. The Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab with East Stroudsburg University said the most common place to encounter ticks is your backyard.
"That has been our highest rate for exposure. Over 50 percent of our ticks that are submitted, individuals are just in their own backyards," lab director Dr. Nicole Chinnici said.
"There are so many deer in our region that even your backyard can be a source of these ticks. You don't have to be in the Allegheny Mountains," Allegheny Health Network Vice Chair of the Primary Care Institute Dr. Amy Crawford-Faucher said.
The lab has been studying ticks sent to its lab since 2019. In all 65,000 ticks have been checked and about 30% are infectious. The goal of the study is to try and cut down encounters between people and ticks.
"It's really reducing our ability as humans to enjoy our life." Dr. Chinnici said.
So far, the study found more ticks in the northern part of the state. The population could grow with warmer winters.
"If there's no snow coverage and it's not freezing, ticks will be out," Chinnici said.
For your yard, keep the grass low, minimize downed trees and leaves, and trim back trees to allow the sun through.
"Ticks don't like dry environments. If we can increase sunlight, keep the grass mowed, that will help create an environment ticks don't like to survive," Chinnici said.
There are treatments for Lyme disease which can cause rashes all the way up to heart problems and meningitis, but there is no vaccine currently, just trials.
