Because of New Jersey’s wet winters, humid springs, and an abundance of vegetation, tick season in the state can often be one of the worst in the country. Tick season generally begins in May and runs through the summer months, during which time those who spend time outside should take special care so as not to get a tick bite. The most common tick in New Jersey is the deer tick, which can carry Lyme disease.

Tickborne diseases increasingly threaten the health of people in the United States. The growing threat includes newly discovered disease-causing germs, an increasing number of tickborne illnesses, expanding geographic ranges for ticks, and even a new tick species in the US.

In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a record number of cases of tickborne diseases. The CDC was provided 59,349 reports of illnesses from ticks, up from 48,610 the year before. There were over 300 cases of Lyme disease in Ocean County alone, and it is estimated that there have been over 32,000 cases of Lyme disease in Ocean County over the past two decades. With the past winter having been a wet one, it is expected that the number of ticks carrying Lyme disease will rise dramatically over past years.

Lyme disease symptoms often include a bulls-eye rash, fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. If left untreated, Lyme disease can lead to arthritis and even heart and neurological problems.

The following are several ways to protect yourself from receiving a tick bite this season:

• Avoid areas with high grass and leaf litter, and walk in the center of trails when hiking
• Use EPA-registered insect repellants that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone
• Treat clothing and gear with permethrin, or buy clothes and gear pretreated with permethrin
• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors to wash off and easily find ticks before they bite you
• Conduct a full-body tick check using a handheld or full-length mirror. Parents should help children look for ticks on their body. Remove any found ticks immediately.
• Put dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks immediately after coming indoors