The bite of an infected mosquito, tick or other disease carrying insect may result in a life changing illness, such as West Nile virus or Lyme disease.

The Disease Carrying Insect Program (DCIP), established in 2003, works to minimize the threat of insect-borne diseases through active surveillance, vector management, and community education activities to help protect county residents. For more information please visit: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/westnile/ . Please note: Fairfax County is not responsible for the content provided on "related" and "promoted" videos that are accessible from this county's YouTube channel. All viewers should note that these related videos and comments expressed on them do not reflect the opinions and position of the Fairfax County government or its officers and employees

I can see taking a tick to the Health Department.

Ticks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick

Tick are small arachnids in the order Ixodida that, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites (external parasites), living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. Ticks are vectors of a number of diseases, including Lyme disease, Q fever (rare; more commonly transmitted by infected excreta),[1] Colorado tick fever, tularemia, tick-borne relapsing fever, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and tick-borne meningoencephalitis, as well as bovine anaplasmosis.

TaxonomyThere are three families of ticks, one of which – Nuttalliellidae – comprises a single species, Nuttalliella namaqua. The remaining two families contain the hard ticks (Ixodidae) and the soft ticks (Argasidae).[2][3]

Ixodidae are distinguished from the Argasidae by the presence of a scutum or hard shield. Ixodidae nymphs and adults both have a prominent capitulum (head) which projects forwards from the body; in the Argasidae, conversely, the capitulum is concealed beneath the body.[4] Argasidae contains 193 species, although the composition of the genera is less certain, and more study is needed before the genera can become stable.[2] The currently accepted genera are Antricola, Argas, Nothaspis, Ornithodoros and Otobius.[2]

Nuttalliella namaqua is a tick found in southern Africa from Tanzania to Namibia and South Africa,[5] which is placed in its own family, Nuttalliellidae.[2] It can be distinguished from ixodid ticks and argasid ticks by a combination of characters including the position of the stigmata, lack of setae, strongly corrugated integument, and form of the fenestrated plates.[6]

Fossilized ticks are common. Recent hypotheses based on total-evidence approach analysis place the origin of ticks in the Cretaceous (65 to 146 million years ago) with most of the evolution and dispersal occurring during the Tertiary (5 to 65 million years ago).[7] The oldest example is an argasid (bird) tick from Cretaceous New Jersey amber. The younger Baltic and Dominican ambers have also yielded examples, all of which can be placed in living genera.

Range and habitat
Tick species are widely distributed around the world.[8]

For an ecosystem to support ticks, it must satisfy two requirements:[9]
There must be a high enough population density of host species in the area.
There must be a high enough humidity for them to remain hydrated.

Anatomy and physiology
Ticks, like mites, have bodies which are divided into two primary sections: the anterior capitulum (or gnathosoma), which contains the head and mouthparts; and the posterior idiosoma which contains the legs, digestive tract, and reproductive organs.

Diet and feeding behaviors
Ticks, such as this Ixodes scapularis, climb to the ends of leaves or branches and attach to hosts that brush against them.Ticks satisfy all of their nutritional requirements on a diet of blood, a practice known as hematophagy. They extract the blood by cutting a hole in the host's epidermis, into which they insert their hypostome, likely keeping the blood from clotting by excreting an anticoagulant.[10]

LegsThe legs of Ixodidae and Argasidae are similar in structure. Each leg is composed of six segments: the coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, and tarsus. Each of these segments are connected by muscles which allow for flexion and extension, however the coxae have limited lateral movement. When not being used for walking, the legs remain tightly folded against the body.[11][12]

In addition to being used for locomotion, the tarsus of leg I contains a unique sensory organ known as the Haller's organ which can detect odors and chemicals emanating from the host, as well as sensing changes in temperature and air currents

Life cycle and reproduction

Ixodid and argasid ticks undergo three primary stages of development: larval, nymphal, and adult.[13] Argasid ticks, however, may go through several nymphal stages, requiring a meal of blood each time.[14]

Medical issues

Tick-borne diseaseMain article: Tick-borne disease
Tick-borne illnesses are caused by infection with a variety of pathogens, including rickettsia and other types of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Because ticks can harbor more than one disease-causing agent, patients can be infected with more than one pathogen at the same time, compounding the difficulty in diagnosis and treatment. Major tick-borne diseases include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, relapsing fever, tularemia, tick-borne meningoencephalitis, Colorado tick fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, babesiosis and cytauxzoonosis.

Eggs can be infected with pathogens inside of the ovaries, meaning that baby ticks can be infectious immediately at birth, before feeding on their first host.[14]

First aid
Engorged tick attached to back of toddler's head. Adult thumb shown for scale.In general, the best way to remove adult Ixodidae is mechanically. After removal, one should inspect the tick's head and mouthparts to ascertain whether they remain attached to the tick's body. If they are not attached, it may be necessary to perform a punch biopsy to remove any parts remaining inside the patient.

Population control measuresWith the possible exception of widespread DDT use in the Soviet Union, attempts to limit the population or distribution of disease-causing ticks have been very unsuccessful.[16]

The parasitic Ichneumon wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri has long been investigated for its potential to control tick populations. It lays its eggs into ticks; the hatching wasps kill their host.

Another natural form of control for ticks is the guineafowl, a bird species which consumes mass quantities of ticks.[17] Just 2 birds can clear 2 acres (8,100 m2) in a single year.

Topical (drops/dust) flea/tick medicines may be toxic to animals and humans. Phenothrin (85.7%) in combination with Methoprene was a popular topical flea/tick therapy for felines. Phenothrin kills adult fleas and ticks. Methoprene is an insect growth regulator that interrupts the insect's life cycle by killing the eggs. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency required at least one manufacturer of these products to withdraw some products and include strong cautionary statements on others, warning of adverse reactions.[18]

Case study:

deer tick (Ixodes scapularis)The black legged or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) is dependent on the white-tailed deer for reproduction. Larval and nymph stages (immature ticks that cannot reproduce) of the deer tick feed on birds and small mammals. The adult female tick needs a large 3-day blood meal from the deer before she can reproduce and lay her 2000 or more eggs. Deer are the primary host for the adult deer tick and are key to the reproductive success of the tick.[19] See the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and Connecticut Department of Public Health joint publication Tick Management Handbook for more details of the tick's life cycle and dependence on deer.[20]

Numerous studies have shown that abundance and distribution of deer ticks are correlated with deer densities.[19][21][22][23]

When the deer population was reduced by 74% at a 248-acre (100 ha) study site in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for example, the number of nymphal ticks collected at the site decreased by 92%.[19] The relationship between deer abundance, tick abundance, and human cases of Lyme disease was well documented in the Mumford Cove Community in Groton, Connecticut, from 1996 to 2004. The deer population in Mumford Cove was reduced from about 77 deer per square mile to about 10 deer per square mile (4 deer per square kilometer) after 2 years of controlled hunting. After the initial reduction the deer population was maintained at low levels. Reducing deer densities to 10 deer per square mile (4 deer per square kilometer) was adequate to reduce by more than 90% the risk of humans contracting Lyme disease in Mumford Cove.[24]

A 2006 study by Penn State's Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics indicated that reducing the deer population in small areas may lead to higher tick densities, resulting in more tick-borne infections in rodents leading to a high prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis and creating a tick hot-spot.[25]
Attachments:

Now that the fire volunteers got mesage accorss. Now the healthy department use for outreach? Greats news for everyone. Please make sure you check for ticks after you go for a walk. Use SPF 45+ suntan lotion and practice safe swimming. Fairfax has a lot of tiks.