Louisville health officials release safety tips ahead of tick season | Local News
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — With more than 840 known species of ticks, Louisville health officials want to make sure the public is aware of the risks as summer approaches.
Ticks feed on the blood of mammals, birds and sometimes reptiles and amphibians, and are commonly found in wooded, brushy, and grassy areas — and that includes front lawns and back yards, according to a news release from the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness.
Ticks are harmful to people and pets, and often carry diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease. Ticks are more active during summer months, but you can be exposed year-round.
The three ticks most commonly found in Jefferson County are the Lone Star tick, American Dog tick and Blacklegged tick.
Here’s some tips to protect yourself from tickborne illnesses:
- Know where to expect ticks: grassy, brushy, or wooded areas.
- Treat your clothing and gear with products that contain 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin is an insecticide that can be used to treat your clothing, boots, shoes and camping gear.
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.
After you come inside:
- Check your clothing for ticks. Remove any ticks you find. You can wash your clothes in hot water to kill ticks.
- Shower soon after coming inside. It may help wash off unattached ticks.
- Check your body for ticks. Check all parts of your body especially under the arms, inside the belly button, in and around your ears and hair, the back of your knees and around your waist.
Spot a Tick and Share
If you are bitten by a tick or discover one, you’re asked to share it with Louisville health officials through its Spot a Tick and Share Program. Ticks brought in by community members helps our environmental health specialist identify what types of ticks are in the Metro area and what diseases they may be carrying.
The program launched in 2022. To date, more than 398 ticks have been speciated and tested for disease through the program. Of those samples, nearly 102 have been brought in by Louisville Metro residents and the rest collected by our team.
To submit a tick, follow these steps:
- Place the tick in an airtight container, not a plastic bag.
- Cover the tick in rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.
- Label the container with your name and contact information.
- Complete and attach this form, that you can also find on louisvilleky.gov.
- Drop off the sample at Public Health and Wellness headquarters at 400 E. Gray St. Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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