May 19, 2013
They're some of the most common creepy crawlies in the East all year round: the blood sucking tick! This often unseen menace is multiplying along with the temperatures. Their scaly bodies can survive degrees near freezing therefore they maintain large populations in climates like Eastern Carolina. These buggers may have you ticked off this season, but could also make you sick. They carry rocky mountain spotted fever and lyme disease, which can be deadly to humans. The symptoms are similar to the flu so it's really hard to diagnose. Sometimes there will be a red ring around the bite when a tick is carrying lyme disease, but the only person that can tell for sure is a trained medical professional. The deer, American dog, and lone star tick are most prevalent in the East, all of which make their habitats in wooded and brushy areas. The experts advise you avoid these areas, where bug spray, and check yourself.
