Last Updated on June 29, 2025 5:22 pm
As summer brings warmer temperatures, AppHealthCare is urging the community to take action to prevent tick-borne diseases.
Tick bites are more common in the summer months, with the highest levels of tick bites occurring in June and July across North Carolina. Ticks can carry diseases like Lyme disease,
Rickettsiosis (such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) and ehrlichiosis, which can become serious if not treated. According to NC DHHS, “Lyme disease accounted for 33% of all tick-borne diseases reported last year, and ehrlichiosis, which can cause symptoms similar to Lyme disease, accounted for 38% of all tick-borne diseases in 2024.”
Locally, AppHealthCare reports residents of Alleghany, Ashe, and Watauga Counties are at higher risk of contracting a tick-related disease when compared to the rest of North Carolina (data includes confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of disease for both state and county-level case counts. Cases included are those with the earliest date of identification falling within 2024 [often symptom onset date]).
- Lyme Disease – Alleghany residents had 27.9 times the risk, Ashe residents had 16.5 times the risk and Watauga residents had 13.1 times the risk of contracting Lyme disease than the broader state.
- Rickettsiosis – Watauga residents had 10.3 times the risk of getting spotted fever rickettsiosis than the broader state.
- Ehrlichiosis – Watauga residents had 30.5 times the risk and Ashe residents had 9.4 times the risk than the broader state.
Beyond the risk of contracting different diseases, recent data from Percentage of collected Ixodes ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi by county 2018-2024 (Williams, C., NC DHHS, 2025) shows the percentage of the ticks that were collected were infected with Lyme disease: 42% (139 ticks collected) for Alleghany, 41% (96 ticks collected) for Ashe and 18% (255 ticks collected) for Watauga.
“We are encouraging the community to take actions to prevent tick-borne diseases and be knowledgeable about ways they can protect themselves and their loved ones. With the warmer weather of the summer months, this is the time of year to remind ourselves of ways we can prevent tick bites. We often think of the dangers of ticks in wooded areas, but ticks can reach you in lots of places here in the High Country. If you develop symptoms after a tick has been on you, seek medical care so a healthcare provider can evaluate you and determine what treatment may be needed,” stated Jennifer Greene, Health Director/CEO of AppHealthCare.
Prevent Tick Bites
- If you go outside, know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, wooded areas and can even live on animals. Many people get ticks in their own backyard while doing everyday activities like gardening or yard work, for example.
- Use an EPA-approved repellent, such as those containing DEET or picaridin, on exposed skin and treat clothing with a pesticide called permethrin (0.5%). Use caution when applying insect repellent to children.
- Avoid contact with ticks. If possible, avoid or limit your time in wooded and brushy areas with high grass. When choosing where to have a picnic, or where to play outdoor activities, consider areas like the middle of a field which may be further from the forest line and ideal tick habitats.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck pants into socks when hiking or doing yard work.
- Treat pets with tick prevention products as recommended by veterinarians.
- Check yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks and remove them promptly. Conduct a full body check that includes under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, back of the knees, in and around the hair, between the legs, and around the waist.
- Reduce tick habitats around your house with selective landscaping techniques such as pruning shrubs and bushes, removing leaf litter, and keeping grass cut short.
What do I do if I find a tick on me?
If you find a tick on your body, remove it as soon as possible. Delaying tick removal can increase your risk of getting a tick-borne disease.
- Grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible with fine-tipped tweezers and pull steadily upward.
- Place the tick in a sealed container, wrap it tightly in tape, or flush it down the toilet. Do not crush the tick with your fingers.
- After removing the tick, clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water.
If the removed tick was engorged, and if you were bitten in an area where ticks are likely to be infected with the pathogen that causes Lyme disease (which includes Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga Counties, consult your doctor to see if you are eligible for post-exposure prophylaxis (medication that can prevent you from developing Lyme disease following the bite). If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see a healthcare provider.
Tick Testing Program
North Carolina has a program, the NC Tick Identification Program, that tests ticks to know what type of ticks are in our state. Testing of ticks is for identification only, and they do not test for individual diagnostic purposes. To submit a tick, complete this form and follow the submission instructions. The data is returned back to the local health department for the county as a whole.
For more information about ticks and tick prevention, visit the CDC’s website.
For additional information about AppHealthCare or other community resources and health-related data, please call AppHealthCare at (828) 795-1970 or visit www.AppHealthCare.com and follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
