It’s tick and mosquito season — time to fight the bite!

submitted by Beth Ann Hamilton, Washtenaw County Health Department

The Washtenaw County Health Department is reminding residents to take steps to prevent tick and mosquito bites when enjoying the outdoors. Preventing tick bites is especially important: local cases of Lyme disease have increased dramatically in recent years, and many of these cases were exposed here in Washtenaw County.

“The best way to avoid tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses is to prevent bites,” said Kristen Schweighoefer, MPH, RS, environmental health director for the Washtenaw County Health Department. “Anyone spending time outside in our community can be exposed to Lyme disease. Use EPA-approved repellents and check for ticks attached to your body after being outside. If you find a tick on you, remove it immediately.”

Most Washtenaw residents diagnosed with Lyme disease were likely exposed by an infected tick here in the county. In 2024, there were 143 cases of Lyme disease diagnosed in residents. This is a decrease from 2023 (192 cases), but still much higher than previous years. Climate change helps ticks thrive, so we expect to continue seeing higher levels of Lyme disease.

If you find a tick on you, remove it by using tweezers to grip the body firmly and pull straight out of the skin. Do not twist the tick. After removing the tick, clean the bite area and your hands. Your risk for Lyme disease is very low if a tick has been attached for fewer than 24 hours. You do not need to keep the tick for testing. Dispose of it by flushing it down the toilet.

“It isn’t always easy to diagnose Lyme disease, but early detection and treatment with antibiotics can prevent severe illness,” continued Schweighoefer. “If you develop symptoms like a rash, fever, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, or joint stiffness after spending time outside or having a tick on you, contact a health care provider right away. Not all cases of Lyme disease have the ‘bullseye’ rash commonly associated with Lyme, so get checked out even if you don’t have that circular rash.”

Lyme disease is the most reported vector-borne disease in the United States. There were 143 cases of Lyme in Washtenaw County residents in 2024 and 121 (85%) of these cases were likely exposed to the Lyme bacteria in Washtenaw County.

In 2024, we identified West Nile virus in local mosquitoes. There hasn’t been a human case of West Nile virus detected in Washtenaw County since 2018.

Additional vector-borne disease data is available on our Communicable Disease Data webpage. More detailed Lyme disease data is on our Lyme and Ticks webpage. We expect to publish a 2024 Washtenaw County Lyme Disease Data Brief on this webpage in the coming weeks.

Tracking local mosquitoes and ticks

The Health Department is participating in the Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance Program again this year, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The Health Department will collect and identify mosquitoes and ticks to help understand local disease risk and contribute data to the statewide tracking system.

Staff will be conducting “tick drags” in several locations to collect ticks for identification and Lyme disease testing. Ticks of interest include deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis, also known as the blacklegged tick), which can spread Lyme and other diseases, as well as lone star ticks, which can cause alpha-gal syndrome.

Later in May, Health Department staff will set up mosquito traps throughout the county. Mosquitoes of interest include Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Culiseta melanura, and Coquillettidia perturbans, which can transmit Zika and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus, as well as other diseases. Mosquito traps will have Health Department signage. Residents are asked to please not disturb any traps found in the community.

Preventing tick bites

• Check for ticks after being outside. Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held mirror, if necessary. Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in the hair.
• Use insect repellent with 20% or more DEET or other ingredients shown to be effective against ticks, and follow label instructions.
• Wear long sleeves, pants, shoes, and socks when outdoors.
• Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Walk in the center of trails.
• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming inside from outdoor activities and tumble dry clothing on high heat for 10 minutes.
• Examine gear and pets for ticks. Ticks can also attach to dogs and cats — do tick checks on pets regularly and talk with your veterinarian about prevention medication.

Preventing mosquito bites

• Use insect repellent and follow label instructions. To find a repellent that’s right for you, use the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s insect repellent search tool.
• Wear long sleeves, pants, shoes, and socks when outdoors.
• Repair screens to keep mosquitoes out of your home.
• Reduce mosquito breeding conditions by getting rid of standing water around your home. Once a week, empty flowerpots, barrels, and other items that can hold water.

Tick identification

MDHHS offers tick identification based on photos at no charge for Michigan residents. To submit a photo of a tick for identification, email the photo to MDHHS-Bugs@michigan.gov according to these instructions.

MDHHS does not offer tick testing because the results do not predict infection. Instead, if you are bitten by a tick, monitor for symptoms such as rash, fatigue, fever, headache, muscle pain, or joint swelling/pain occurring within 30 days of the latest tick bite and/or visiting an area with ticks. Some Lyme disease patients do not recall having a tick bite. Seek prompt medical attention if you develop any of these symptoms.

Washtenaw County Health Department

The Washtenaw County Health Department promotes health and works to prevent disease and injury in our community. Our mission is to assure, in partnership with the community, the conditions necessary for people to live healthy lives through prevention and protection programs.

Local public health information and updates are always available at www.washtenaw.org/health. The Health Department also provides frequent social media updates (@wcpublichealth) and sends regular email updates. Sign up at http://bit.ly/WCHD555.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.