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Summer of Tick Trouble: Hundreds Visit NJ Emergency Rooms for Tick Bites in 2024

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, as the warm weather arrives, it brings with it an increase in tick and mosquito activity, posing a greater risk for diseases such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus. In 2024, New Jersey has already seen nearly 700 people visit emergency rooms for tick bites, and this number is expected to rise as the summer progresses.

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Protect Yourself Against West Nile virus and Lyme disease

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Each year, the start of warmer weather brings the emergence of ticks and mosquitoes and the threat of related diseases, such as West Nile virus and Lyme disease. The New Jersey Departments of Health (NJDOH), Environmental Protection (NJDEP), and Agriculture (NJDA) urge residents to protect themselves from these bugs for a safe and healthy summer season.

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Slow Mow May is Back !

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photo courtesy of the Village of Ridgewood

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Village of Ridgewood is once again promoting Slow Mow May .The goal of Slow Mow May is to embrace a two-week mowing regime (and forego chemicals for the entire month), which supports the greatest abundance of bees by creating habitat and food sources for early-season pollinators. It’s a small but important step toward making our yards more natural, environmentally friendly and healthier for people, pets and pollinators.

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Ridgewood Health Department will host a Discussion on How to Protect Yourself from Lyme disease on April 25th

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, on April 25 the Ridgewood Health Department will host a discussion on how to protect yourself from Lyme disease. The event will be held on April 25th 10:30 – 11:30 am at Village Hall in the Anne Zusy Youth Lounge .

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“No Mow May” Does it Really Do Anything or Just More “Yard Sign Environmentalism” ?

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, “No Mow May” is an initiative where Ridgewood residents do not mow their lawns in May in order to preserve the habitats of many insects and bees, and to promote conversations about the environment. The optimal time to leave grass uncut for the benefit of bees and other pollinators is during the month of May.

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Tick borne illnesses are very common in the United states especially in the north eastern region

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Inderpreet Sachar MD (from the Borough of Glen Rock Website )

Glen Rock NJ, Tick borne illnesses are very common in the United states especially in the north eastern region. Ticks could be a vector for the spread of various infections at different stages of growth.

The common types of ticks found on the eastern coast of US are American dog tick, black-legged tick (also known as deer tick), lone star tick, and Gulf Coast tick. The common diseases spread by tick bites are Lyme disease, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Tularemia, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

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Warm Weather Brings Ticks

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Heath Department and the New Jersey Department of Health remind you that the warm weather brings ticks and Lyme disease. May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, an excellent time to take precautions and learn the signs of Lyme disease. Lyme disease is an illness caused by infection with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (boar-ELL-ee-uh burg-dorf-ERR-eye). This bacterium is carried by ticks. This infection can cause a variety of symptoms and if left untreated can be severe.

Lyme disease is spread to people by the bite of an infected tick. In New Jersey, the most commonly infected tick is the deer tick (or black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis). Immature ticks become infected by feeding on infected white-footed mice and other small mammals, such as deer and meadow voles. Deer ticks can also spread other tick-borne diseases. Humans can be infected with more than one tick-borne disease at the same time. Lyme disease is not spread from person to person. It is not necessary to avoid someone who is ill with Lyme disease.

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The Ridgewood Heath Department Reminds You Warm Weather Brings Ticks

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Heath Department and the New Jersey Department of Health remind you that the warm weather brings ticks and Lyme disease. Lyme disease is an illness caused by infection with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (boar-ELL-ee-uh burg-dorf-ERR-eye). This bacterium is carried by ticks. This infection can cause a variety of symptoms and if left untreated can be severe.

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Exotic Tick Species Found in Bergen County

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July 22,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  In recent months, the exotic longhorned tick has been found in New Jersey, including one identified in Bergen County. This invasive species uses humans, other mammals, and birds as hosts. Longhorned ticks found thus far in New Jersey have tested negative for pathogens dangerous to humans or animals, but in other countries these insects have spread disease to humans.
Various local, state, and federal animal health agencies, as well as Rutgers–New Brunswick, are working together to identify the range of the ticks and develop a plan to eliminate them from the areas where they are found. Like deer-ticks, the nymphs of the Longhorned tick are very small (resembling tiny spiders) and can easily go unnoticed on animals and people.

To avoid tick bites, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture recommends the following:
Apply a tick repellent containing at least 20% DEET to exposed skin and clothing.
Apply a product containing permethrin to clothing to kill ticks.
Stay in the middle of trails. Avoid contact with tall grasses, shrubs, fallen leaves, and logs under trees.
Check yourself for ticks often and remove any ticks before leaving this area.
Check your pet for ticks, keep pets on trails.
Bathe or shower as soon as possible to wash off and more easily find ticks.
Check your entire body for ticks for several days after you leave this area.

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CDC : Preventing tick bites

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May 13,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, according to the CDC while it is a good idea to take preventive measures against ticks year-round, be extra cautious in warmer months (April-September) when ticks are most active and know which ticks are most common in your area.
Avoid Direct Contact with Ticks
Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
Walk in the center of trails.
Repel Ticks on Skin and Clothing
Use repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 on exposed skin for protection that lasts several hours.
Always follow product instructions. Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding hands, eyes, and mouth.
Use products that contain permethrin on clothing. Treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents with products containing 0.5% permethrin. It remains protective through several washings. Pre-treated clothing is available and may be protective longer.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an online tool to help you select the repellent that is best for you and your family.
Find and Remove Ticks from Your Body
Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are crawling on you.
Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon return from tick-infested areas. Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.
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 day packs.
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 effectively. If the clothes cannot be washed in hot water, tumble dry on low heat for 90 minutes or high heat for 60 minutes. The clothes should be warm and completely dry.

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Beyond Lyme, new illnesses, more reason to watch for ticks

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JUNE 15, 2015    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY LAURAN NEERGAARD
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS |
WIRE SERVICE

Lyme disease makes the headlines but there are plenty of additional reasons to avoid tick bites. New research highlights the latest in a growing list of tick-borne threats — a distant relative of Lyme that’s easy to confuse with other illnesses.

A study released recently suggests a kind of bacteria with an unwieldy name — Borrelia miyamotoi — should be on the radar when people in Lyme-endemic areas get otherwise unexplained summertime fevers. It’s one of several diseases discovered to have links to ticks in different parts of the country — a reminder to become tick-savvy no matter where you live.

“People need to be aware of what tick-borne diseases are in their area,” says Dr. Peter J. Krause of Yale University, who reviewed the research. “And they should know how to avoid ticks.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/ticks-can-mean-more-trouble-than-you-thought-1.1355851