It’s open season on ticks! | Division of Vector-Borne Diseases | NCEZID

Ticks spread germs that can make you sick. Protect yourself, your family, and your pets from tick bites this hunting season.

Ticks can carry germs that cause serious and sometimes deadly diseases like tularemia, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Lyme disease. While most tickborne infections occur during the summer, ticks may still be active into the fall, or even year-round on warm winter days. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, and on animals themselves, so hunting will bring you in close contact with ticks. Take the proper precautions this hunting season to keep you and your pets healthy.

Another reason to prevent tick bites is the tick bite associated allergy called alpha-gal syndrome, or AGS. AGS is a serious, potentially life-threatening allergic condition. AGS is also called alpha-gal allergy, red meat allergy, or tick bite meat allergy. AGS is not caused by an infection. AGS symptoms occur after people eat red meat or are exposed to other products containing alpha-gal. Evidence suggests that AGS is primarily associated with the bite of a lone star tick in the United States, but other kinds of tick have not been ruled out.

Prevent Tick Bites

Currently no vaccines are available to prevent tickborne disease in the United States, so avoiding tick bites is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your pets.