Doctors warn ticks ready to thrive this summer

PITTSBURGH — Ticks are set to thrive this summer, so be on the lookout as you start to spend more time outdoors.

Because of a warm and wet spring, it’s shaping up to be a bad year with more ticks around, according to the National Pest Management Association.

Ticks flourish in tall grass, brush and wooded areas.

Doctors warn that ticks can carry a number of illnesses, including Lyme disease.

Ticks are most active between April and October, and more ticks mean more tickborne illnesses.

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Pennsylvania has led the United States in the number of Lyme disease cases for seven straight years.

East Stroudsburg University, on the eastern side of the state, launched a Tick Research Laboratory.

Researchers tested more than 10,000 ticks across the commonwealth in all 67 counties.

They found 42% of ticks tested in Allegheny County came back with a tick-borne disease, and 48% in Westmoreland.

Venango and Green counties came in with 67%, which was the highest in the state.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests checking your body from the back of your knees to the areas in and around your hair. It also suggests to take a shower within two hours of being outdoors.

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Cox Media Group