The mosquito and tick programs through Wyandot County Public Health's Environmental Health Division consist of two components, educating the public and surveillance.
Education: Wyandot County Public Health works to educate the public about prevention of mosquito- and tick-borne illnesses. Knowledge of how to reduce mosquito and tick populations, prevent bites, and reduce risk for illness is an important tool in protecting against diseases carried and spread by mosquitos and ticks.
Mosquito surveillance: In the summertime, mosquito populations are surveilled in strategic locations around the county. Mosquitos collected in gravid traps are sent to the Ohio Department of Health for testing to identify if mosquitos in the county populations are carrying certain diseases.
Tick surveillance: In the late summer and fall, tick surveillance is conducted by Wyandot County Public Health Environmental Health Specialists to determine which tick species are living in Wyandot County. The diseases ticks may carry vary by species. Identification of tick species present in the county assists in understanding which tick-borne diseases may be transmitted from a tick bite. This is achieved with tick dragging in different tick habitats around the county using a white fuzzy cloth to which ticks may cling. Ticks collected in tick drags are sent to ODH for professional identification and reported to Wyandot County Public Health.
When conditions are correct for mosquitos (temperatures above freezing) Wyandot County Public Health encourages the public to take time to reduce mosquito breeding sites around homes. The following simple steps will greatly reduce mosquito populations and help protect your family from diseases carried by mosquitoes:
Empty any pooling water around the home including from buckets and unused flower pots.
Inspect roof gutters to assure they are clean and properly draining.
Dispose of or properly store discarded tires.
Wyandot County Public Health also recommends taking personal precautions to protect yourself as you enjoy outdoor activities this summer:
When possible, avoid outdoor activities between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
Dress to prevent mosquito bites. Cover up by wearing socks, shoes, long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Wear light colors as these are least likely to attract mosquitoes.
Use EPA-approved mosquito repellent containing DEET, 30% for adults and 10% for children, and always follow label directions.
For more information regarding steps you can take to protect your family’s health from mosquito bites this summer visit the CDC's mosquito bite prevention page or contact Wyandot County Public Health at (419) 294-3852.
Tick-borne Illness Prevention
When conditions are correct for tick activity (temperatures at or above 40 degrees ) Wyandot County Public Health encourages the public to protect themselves from tick bites by taking the following precautions:
Before you go outdoors:
Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Spending time outside walking your dog, camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact with ticks. Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.
Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remain protective through several washings. Alternatively, you can buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
Avoid contact with ticks. Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Walk in the center of trails. Use EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. Always follow product instructions. Do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under 3 years old. When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women. If you are using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing, and gear and remains protective through several washings. Alternatively, you can buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
After you come indoors:
Check your clothing for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed. If the clothes require washing first, hot water is recommended. Cold and medium temperature water will not kill ticks.
Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and daypacks.
Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and may be effective in reducing the risk of other tickborne diseases. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and it is a good opportunity to do a tick check.
Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, including your own backyard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check these parts of your body and your child's body for ticks:
Under the arms
In and around the ears
Inside belly button
Back of the knees
In and around the hair
Between the legs
Around the waist
Removing ticks
If you find a tick attached to your skin, remove the tick as soon as possible. Do not wait to go to a healthcare provider to remove the tick. Delaying tick removal to get help from a healthcare provider could increase your risk of getting a disease spread through tick bites, known as tickborne diseases.
Grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible using clean fine-tipped tweezers. If fine-tipped tweezers are not available, use regular tweezers or your fingers to grasp the tick. Grasp the tick close to the skin's surface to avoid squeezing the tick's body.
Pull tick away from the skin with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick. This can cause the tick mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, your body will naturally push the mouthparts out over time as your skin heals. You can also remove the mouthparts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouthparts easily with tweezers, leave them alone.
Dispose of the live tick by taking one of these steps: place it in a sealed container; wrap it tightly in tape; flush it down the toilet; or put it in alcohol.Do not crush the tick with your fingers.
After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol, or hand sanitizer.
If you find a tick attached to you, there may be other ticks on your body. Do a careful tick check to look for other ticks and promptly remove them.
A word of caution: Do not use petroleum jelly, heat, nail polish, or other substances to try and make the tick detach from the skin. This may agitate the tick and force infected fluid from the tick into the skin.
Avoid: tick testing
People who have removed a tick sometimes wonder if they should have it tested to see if it is infected. Although some commercial groups offer testing, in general this is not recommended, because:
Laboratories that conduct tick testing are not required to have the high standards of quality control used by clinical diagnostic laboratories. Results of tick testing should not be used for treatment decisions.
Positive results showing that the tick contains a disease-causing organism do not necessarily mean that you have been infected.
Negative results can lead to false assurance. You may have been unknowingly bitten by a different tick that was infected.
If you have been infected, you will probably develop symptoms before results of the tick test are available. If you do become ill, you should not wait for tick testing results before beginning appropriate treatment.
Wyandot County Public Health can assist in identifying various ticks. Different ticks live in different parts of the country and transmit different diseases. Knowing the species of tick can help identify which diseases and symptoms to be aware of after a tick bite.
Follow-up after a tick bite
If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor:
Tell the doctor about your recent tick bite,
When the bite occurred, and
Where you most likely acquired the tick.
Reducing tick habitats and exposure
The public is also encouraged to take time to reduce tick habitats around homes. The following simple steps help reduce ticks in the backyard and protect your family from diseases carried by ticks:
Apply pesticides outdoors to control ticks in areas where humans and pets spend time. Use of pesticides can reduce the number of ticks in treated areas of your yard. However, you should not rely on spraying to reduce your risk of infection. When using pesticides, always follow label instructions. Before spraying, check with local health or agricultural officials about: The best time to apply pesticide in your area; The best type of pesticide to use; Rules and regulations regarding pesticide application on residential properties.
Create a tick-safe zone to reduce blacklegged ticks in the yard by:
Removing leaf litter
Clearing tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns
Placing a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas
Mowing the lawn frequently.
Stacking wood neatly and in a dry area (discourages rodents).
Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees.
Discouraging unwelcome animals (such as deer, raccoons, and stray dogs) from entering your yard by constructing fences.
Removing old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide.
For more information regarding steps you can take to protect your family’s health from tick bites visit the CDC's preventing tick bites page or contact Wyandot County Public Health at (419) 294-3852.
Wyandot County Public Health is nationally accredited through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). Established in 2007, PHAB is the non-profit organization that administers the national accreditation program, which aims to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure, and innovation.
