GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Lyme disease hasn't been in West Michigan for long, but it is on the rise.
"It actually started in 2002, that was the first case," says Marisa Faraldo, an expert on environmental health and safety for the Kent County Health Department. "We've seen a decent number of cases here in the last ten years."
In Northern Michigan, the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department has already reported 12 cases since June 1. By comparison, the department only reported 16 total over the last five years combined.
Faraldo says this can likely be attributed to a larger number of deer ticks that spread the disease.
"It was a mild winter as far as Michigan goes," explains Faraldo. "So it didn't really freeze that hard. We think that a lot of ticks survived the winter that don't typically."
Faraldo says in Kent County, there were 17 confirmed cases in 2019 and expects the number to be similar this year. Lyme disease usually causes symptoms such as a rash, fever, headache and fatigue.
"And it gets more severe if left untreated," warns Faraldo. "It would be more like facial palsy, half of your face going numb, stiffness, arthritis, that kind of stuff."
So how can you keep the ticks at bay? She suggests similar methods to repelling mosquitoes.
"Bug repellent, like deet, same thing with mosquitoes, it repels ticks," says Faraldo. "And also wearing clothing down to your ankles, where they can most likely get to your legs while walking through high grass or in the woods."
A researcher at Michigan State also contributed to The Tick App for your smartphone, which allows users to identify tick hot spots and learn other prevention methods.
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