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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week “an aggressive Lyme and tick-borne disease control plan to control tick populations on public lands, increase public awareness and access to available data, and create a working group to participate in a Lyme disease summit this summer,” namely in the Hudson Valley, where the public is at a greater risk to tick exposure.
To implement his plan, Cuomo has “directed the Department of Health, Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to collaborate in order to target priority counties and public lands with the highest risk of tick exposure and Lyme disease.”
Tick disease has already started and lasts through November.
"Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are a major threat to the health and well-being of New Yorkers, and we are taking aggressive actions to help stop the spread of this disease," Cuomo said. "With this control plan, New York is making a major commitment to research, awareness, and prevention of this public health crisis to keep New Yorkers safe and free of these preventable diseases."
While hiking, working or spending time near wooded areas, the New York State Department of Health advises that residents should:
- Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts to protect against ticks other biting insects;
- Check for ticks every two to three hours while outdoors and brush off any ticks before they attach;
- Perform a full body check multiple times during the day, as well as at the end of the day to ensure that no ticks are attached;
- Consider use of repellents containing DEET, picaridin, or IR3535, following label instructions.
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