Invasive longhorned tick found in Westchester County

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, New York (WABC) —

The longhorned tick has been noticed in Westchester County.

The New York State Departments of Health and Agriculture and Markets confirmed the presence of the tick, whose scientific identify is Haemaphysalis longicornis, in the county.

The tick is native to Australia, New Zealand and jap Asia, but it surely has been found just lately in New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas and now New York.

“It is always better to prevent tick bites whenever possible and to remove ticks as soon as possible, and the discovery of a new tick in our area gives us one more reason to be vigilant in performing tick checks on ourselves, our children and pets,” Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler stated. “Farmers and livestock owners should consult with their veterinarians and continue to use the same preventive measures that work for other ticks.”

The state and county health departments advise farmers with livestock to work with their veterinarians to test their animals, notably cattle, sheep and horses, for publicity to ticks and to make sure their parasite management plans are updated and dealing.

Symptoms of tick-borne illness in cattle embody fever, lack of urge for food, dehydration, weak point and labored respiration.

How to stop tick bites
–Avoid tick-infested areas (wooded or grassy areas), particularly throughout the spring and summer time months.
–Wear light-colored, tightly-woven garments to identify ticks extra simply.
–Wear pants, a protracted sleeved shirt, socks and sneakers when having fun with out of doors actions. Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants to create a barrier between ticks and your pores and skin.
–Use insect repellents containing DEET and permethrin based on label directions when spending time outside in grassy or wooded areas.
–Do tick checks after out of doors actions akin to gardening, climbing or picnicking, however not less than as soon as a day. Inspect your complete physique (dad and mom ought to test their youngsters) and take away ticks promptly

Tick management in your property
–Keep grass reduce quick.
–Remove leaf litter and particles which might act as a moist setting for ticks to thrive in.
–Create a 3 foot barrier of wooden chips between your garden and bushy vegetation or wooded areas.
–Select plantings that don’t appeal to deer.

If you need to discover a tick connected to your pores and skin, observe these steps to take away it appropriately:
–Use a pair of unpolluted, fine-point tweezers and grasp the tick on the place of attachment (by the pinnacle or mouthparts), as near the pores and skin as potential. Do not grasp the tick by the physique.
–Pull the tick firmly and steadily outward. DO NOT twist the tick.
–Place the tick in a small vial or container with rubbing alcohol or vegetable oil to kill it.
–Clean the chew with disinfectant.
–DO NOT put petroleum jelly, a scorching match, alcohol or another irritant on the tick earlier than eradicating it. This can improve the possibilities of an contaminated tick transmitting micro organism to you.
–Monitor the location of the chew for the following 30 days for the looks of a rash, and report another early

While the longhorned tick has transmitted illness to people in different elements of the world, extra analysis is required to find out whether or not this could occur in the United States.

If you’ve got been bitten by a tick of any type, contact your health care supplier instantly in case you develop a rash or flu-like signs.

For extra tips and data, take a look at the Westchester County website or contact the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Animal Industry at 518-457-3502 or dai@agriculture.ny.gov.

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