HARRISBURG, Pa. — Just in time for National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, the Pennsylvania Department of Health this week launched a new online dashboard to provide Pennsylvania residents and health care providers with information about tickborne diseases.
The tickborne diseases dashboard allows visitors the opportunity to review the latest state data on tickborne disease activity, such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and ehrlichiosis.
The dashboard can be found at https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Vectorborne%20Diseases/Pages/Tick%20Diseases.aspx.
It was designed for Pennsylvanians to use themselves, so they can see where tickborne diseases are prevalent and be prepared to take appropriate precautions while enjoying outdoor activities.The data include case counts across Pennsylvania and cases per 100,000 residents per county to understand the prevalence of ticks.
Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tickborne disease in Pennsylvania and many other states, but there are several other diseases ticks can carry.
In 2022, reporting requirements for Lyme disease changed, which may increase case counts and incidence rates. Reporting of Lyme disease in Pennsylvania is now based entirely on laboratory reports the Department of Health receives directly from labs. Prior to 2022, Lyme disease cases were reported based on lab reports and clinical information from health care providers. Other tickborne disease are reported through a combination of laboratory and clinical findings. In 2022, there were 581 cases of anaplasmosis, 92 cases of babesiosis and 57 cases of ehrlichiosis in Pennsylvania.
Although tickborne diseases can occur any time of the year, cases increase from April through August. So far in 2024, there have been 1,929 lab-reported cases of Lyme disease in Pennsylvania.
Tick bite prevention and tick removal. Individuals with exposure to wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter are at greatest risk of tick exposure. Residents can reduce the likelihood of a tick bite by: walking in the center of trails and avoiding areas with high grass and leaf litter; using EPA-approved insect repellents on exposed skin; using products that contain 0.5% permethrin to pre-treat shoes, clothing, and gear; wearing light-colored clothing, which will make it easier to see crawling ticks; conducting full-body tick checks (including pets) after spending time in tick habitats; bathing or showering within two hours after coming indoors; and placing clothing worn outdoors in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks.
If an attached tick is found, it should be promptly removed using fine-tipped tweezers. The tick should be grasped as close to the skin’s surface as possible and pulled upward with steady, even pressure. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s directions for tick removal can be found online at https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/removal/index.html
