PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Hospitals in the region are seeing an increase in the number of patients coming in with tick bites. Now health officials are stressing the importance of wearing bug spray.
These little buggers are causing some big problems.
Dr. Mark LaSorda, an internal medicine specialist at Chester County Hospital, has been seeing patients with anaplasmosis and other tick-borne illnesses a little more than usual this year.
"Some of them can affect your liver enzymes," he explained. "They can cause anemia, causing the red blood cells, the cells that carry oxygen in your body to break down."
LaSorda warned if left untreated, some of these diseases can be life-threatening.
"If they're not recognized quickly, or if you misdiagnose them because they seem like any other viral illness going around, it can lead to severe complications in the heart, neurological and orthopedic issues," he said.
Lindsay Smith, with the Chester County Health Department, said this is one of the worst areas in the country for ticks. She advised people to buy and use bug spray, even if only hanging out in the yard.
"There is a misconception that you have to be on a camping trip or totally out in the wilderness to get bit by a tick," she said, "and the reality is that can happen in your backyard because we are in a hot zone for ticks in the northeast."
Smith said another inexpensive solution is to spread bug treatment on the lawn, and to apply flea and tick repellent on pets as well.