As the weather gets nicer, North Dakotans are spending more time outdoors – which may expose them to tickborne diseases.
That’s because ticks are also spending more time outdoors, and they’re looking for hosts.
Amanda Bakken is the vector borne disease epidemiologist with North Dakota Health and Human Services. She says lyme disease is the most prevalent tickborne disease diagnosed in the state, but there are others.
"Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or licheosis, tularemia, and then I think people are starting to hear more and more about alpha-gal syndrome; which, it's not a disease in the same sense as lyme disease is, but it is a red meat allergy that has been kind of new and hot in the news in recent years. We don't get a lot of alpha-gal syndrome because it's transmitted by a tick that isn't commonly found in North Dakota, but it is something for the public's awareness."
Bakken says to avoid ticks, people should wear long sleeves and pants, wear insect repellent, and stick to trails while out and about. She says frequent checking for ticks is also important so if a tick does attach, it can be removed quickly. She says using a tweezer to gently pull it out and away from the body works best.
37 cases of lyme disease were confirmed in North Dakota last year, which was higher than the two previous years. Bakken says this was likely due to weather conditions that prolonged the tick season.
