MATT GUTMAN:
00:00:00
In this morning's HealthWatch, as spring gets into full swing, so does tick season. CDC reports the most weekly emergency room visits for tick bites for this time of year in at least a decade. Out of every 100,000 weekly ER visits, 85 were for tick bites. CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder is here. She's also editor at large for public health at KFF Health News. Good morning, Céline. All right, so here's the question. We're obviously early in tick season. And why do you think we're seeing this rise? Is it because more people are aware of ticks or because the number of actual tick bites and Lyme disease has risen? It's some of both, actually. People are much more aware. They're much more likely to go see the doctor to go to the ER if they have a tick bite. They are aware that maybe they need antibiotics after an exposure. But we're also seeing due to climate change, due to global warming, we're seeing warmer winters, which makes it easier for ticks to survive through the winter, meaning that it's not just necessarily the Northeast where you're seeing these. They're spreading geographically, and so more people are exposed. And it's estimated that almost half a million people end up getting treated for Lyme every year, much more than what the official estimates are. So I was in Vermont last fall, and I had a tick on me.
NATE BURLESON:
00:01:16
Oh, man.
GAYLE KING:
00:01:17
Where was it? Where was it? On my waist.
GAYLE KING:
00:01:20
On your waist. First of all, it's tiny but incredibly difficult to remove and then remarkably difficult to kill. How did you spot it? I felt it. We did a tick check--
NATE BURLESON:
00:01:30
Oh, you felt the bite. --and I felt it on my waist, not the bite. You feel the bump on your skin. Feel the bump. Got you. CÉLINE GOUNDER: Well, that's a typical spot, your waist, under your arms, your scalp. I remember when I was like five, I had a tick in my hair. That must have been there for a while before my mom found it. And so you really do need to check yourself everywhere, especially some of those hidden spots. When you've been out in the woods, camping, in tall grasses, that's where you're most likely to get exposed. So when you come in, put your clothes in the dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes. That will kill the ticks. So that's actually one way to reliably kill the ticks. And then check yourself all over. Take a shower right away. But you're right. They are very hard to kill.
GAYLE KING:
00:02:11
If you stay out of the woods, do you have to worry about it? And if you have a dog, do you have to worry about getting a tick from your dog? Well, this is one of the reasons we actually try to prevent tick bites in dogs because they can bring the ticks home, and you can get the tick then and get infected, whether it's Lyme and there's other infections like ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis. It's not just Lyme.
MATT GUTMAN:
00:02:31
All these "osis-es." Yeah, and they're not good. Trust me. I've taken care of these patients in the hospital. So there's a lot of reasons you want to be avoiding tick bites. But if you stay out of the woods, do you have to worry about it? Well, so woods are definitely a high-risk area, but if you're on trails with tall grasses, you want to stick to the middle of the trail to reduce your exposure. And then some of the other things, permethrin spray on your clothing. That lasts through multiple washes and kills ticks on contact. And then insect repellents with either DEET or picaridin on your skin will also help reduce your risk. When should you call a doctor? Well, if you see a tick on you and you live in an area that's known to have Lyme disease or one of these other infections-- the Northeast is particularly bad for this. Upper Midwest is also a very high-prevalence area. Then you do want to see your doctor because you can get an antibiotic in the first day or two after exposure, and that can dramatically reduce your risk of Lyme disease.
NATE BURLESON:
00:03:29
All right, Dr. Gounder, thank you so much.
