GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – TICK SEASON IS BACK AS WE ADVANCE INTO SPRING AND SEE WARMER WEATHER MAKING ITS WAY ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA.

TICKS ARE MOST COMMONLY FOUND IN WOODED AREAS AND CAN ATTACH ITSELF TO NOT ONLY PEOPLE BUT ALSO OUR PETS. SOME OF THE MOST COMMON TYPES WE HAVE IN NORTH CAROLINA INCLUDE THE AMERICAN DOG TICK, THE BROWN DOG TICK, THE LONE STAR TICK, AND THE BLACK-LEGGED TICK. DISEASES CAN BE CARRIED BY TICKS WHICH CAN BE TRANSMITTED TO AND FROM OUR PETS. TWO OF THE MOST COMMON DISEASES THAT TICKS CARRY ARE LYME DISEASE AND ROCKY MOUNTIAN SPOTTED FEVER WHICH CAN CAUSE SEVERE HEALTH COMPLICATIONS AND EVEN DEATH. THIS IS ALL ACCORDING TO N-C STATE EXTENSION ON TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES. EAST CAROLINA VETERINARY SERVICE SAYS PEOPLE AND PETS SHOULD TAKE THIS ADVICE.

“Prevention is key more than treatment. Lyme disease for example, once they get infected there is no way that we can get rid of the organism. So they always have that infection. They’ll be carriers and we can treat that but it is not going to eliminate the disease.”- Dr. Fernanda Godfrey, Veterinarian

THE TREND IN LYME DISEASE IN NORTH CAROLINA HAS INCREASED IN HUMANS AND PETS ACCORDING TO THE CDC. DR. GODFREY ALSO SAYS YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF AND PETS BY GROOMING AFTER BEING IN A WOODED AREA AND REMOVING THE TICK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF FOUND.