The Lone Star Tick Arrives on Long Island, NY
What this essentially means is that the safety zones in Long Island parks, beaches, and woodlands have significantly decreased in size. To avoid contact with the common deer tick, all one had to do was remain out of tall grassy areas or similar habitats where the deer tick thrived, thus removing yourself from harm’s way. But now, with the increased presence of the lone star tick and its aggressive predatory behavior, even areas typically deemed safe from ticks may no longer be the case, as lone star ticks, stimulated by the presence of a human, will abandon its post and actively seek out a host to attach itself to, sometimes traveling long distances to do so.
The lone star tick is named so for the silver-white spot found on the back of the female tick’s body (the male has a white spot on either side of its body). It has been migrating steadily northward from the southeastern United States, and is very active in late spring and most of summer.
The lone star tick has been known to carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the south central US, and so health officials fear that Lyme disease can also be spread by these tiny aggressive bloodsuckers.
As the Lone Star Tick continues to progress northward and across much of Long Island, communities are warned to take active care in searching carefully for and protecting yourselves from ticks, even if you haven’t necessarily been in tick-infested areas. Ticks can be carried indoors by animals, and though the Lone Star Tick typically cannot survive indoors, it may still find time to attach itself to another host and possibly spread infection and Lyme Disease.
Lyme Disease cases on Long Island have steadily increased over the last few years, mainly due to the populations failure to properly protect themselves from ticks, public ignorance of the symptoms and misdiagnosis by doctors. Rashes, headaches and joint pain can sometimes be misconstrued as symptoms of other illnesses or simply disregarded. Lyme disease, if untreated, can often result in severe health problems.
If you do find a tick has fastened itself to you, after removing it safely, be sure to save it, especially if it contains the telltale markings of a lone star tick, and visit your physician along with the insect. Lyme disease is easily treated with antibiotics if caught early.
The Lone Star Tick has larger mouth parts than the deer tick, and so the danger of some parts remaining embedded in your body as you remove the tick is prevalent. Be sure that all of the tick has been removed or infection can still set in. If you are unable to remove the tick yourself, then have your physician remove it immediately.
