Uptick in ticks? Monterey County Mosquito Abatement District seeing surge in tick-related calls
The Monterey County Mosquito Abatement District is seeing a surge in tick related calls- they’ve received three times the number of calls compared to years past.
“When they bring them in they are engorged, which means they have taken a blood meal. They are really swollen with blood and so they are hard to identify,” said Monterey County Mosquito Abatement District Manager, Ken Klemme.
According to Manager Ken Klemme people have been flooding the office with calls in order to find out what diseases, if any, the tick found in/on their pet or person was carrying. According to the California Department of Public Health, 56 of the 58 counties in California have ticks. The good news here is all the ticks that have been brought in to the abatement district have been dog ticks so far.
“Mainly we see dog ticks and deer ticks. And deer ticks are important because they transmit Lyme Disease. Dog ticks on the other hand can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or other types of diseases that are harmful to dogs and humans,” said Klemme.
According to a new report out this month, the CDC says illnesses from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled in the U.S. The number of reported tick-borne diseases accounted for more than 60% of those illnesses. The CDC also says tick regions are expanding.
It’s recommended you wear insect repellent when outside, keep the long grass down around your home, and if you are bitten then properly remove the tick as fast as possible.
