Warns Residents to be Vigilant of Ticks
As the weather gets warmer, Schenectady County is urging residents to be vigilant of deer ticks, which are small in size and abundant in the spring.
Schenectady County’s Public Health Services (SCPHS) launched a new Tickborne Illness Prevention Dashboard to raise awareness and educate residents on the prevalence of ticks and tickborne illnesses within the County. The dashboard also includes prevention information, tick data collected by the NYS Department of Health and a link to an EPA-registered repellents search tool.
“Many of us spend more time outdoors as the weather gets warmer in the spring and into summer, which is when deer ticks are most active,” said Schenectady County Legislator Michelle Ostrelich, Chair of the Health, Housing and Human Services Committee. “We encourage residents to educate themselves about ticks and tickborne illnesses by viewing our new dashboard, which includes information on how to prevent tick bites and tickborne diseases and the prevalence of ticks and risk of illness by season.”
Preventing tick bites is the best way to prevent tickborne illnesses. Lyme Disease is the most common tickborne illness in Schenectady County.
Tickborne Illness Prevention Dashboard
The new dashboard is available at www.schenectadycounty.com/public-health.
A limited number of free tick removal kits are available through SCPHS. Information about how to request a kit is available on the website.