What Is the Tick Bite Danger in Eagle County Heading Into Summer?
As summer adventuring kicks into gear, it’s important to stay apprised of the risks of tick bites. Dr. Meegan Leve, a pediatrician with Colorado Mountain Medical, said she receives calls from concerned parents about ticks every spring and summer.
“We’re a very active community, people are out in wooded areas hiking and such, and you can get a tick bite,” she said. “The good news is we don’t have Lyme disease in Colorado. We don’t have the type of ticks that carry and transmit Lyme disease, so we’ve never had a case of Lyme disease acquired in Colorado,” Leve said.
Tick-Borne Illnesses to Be Aware of in Colorado
“The biggest one is something called Colorado tick fever. It’s probably underdiagnosed. It is a viral illness, so it looks like many other viral illnesses,” Leve said. “You can have fever, headaches, body aches. Sometimes you’ll get better for a few days, and symptoms will reemerge.”
Colorado tick fever is relatively uncommon. Between 2003 and 2022, 223 documented cases of Colorado tick fever were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, originating from 10 states, including Colorado.
“Probably, many (cases of Colorado tick fever) go under the radar, because it often resolves on its own,” Leve said. “Maybe people don’t report mild viral symptoms or connect them with recently having been out on hikes or a tick bite.”
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is “the most severe tick-borne illness that doctors worry about,” Leve said. “Despite its name, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is not common in Colorado.”
What to Do if You Find a Tick on You
“Preventative measures like light long sleeves are important,” she said. “The fashionable wearing your socks pulled up over your pants, because that’s a common place to get bit by ticks. One easy thing to do is do a tick check after you’ve been out on a hike. If you’re wearing light colors, it’s easier to see if there’s a tick on your clothes or a tick on your skin.”
If people find a tick on themselves or their child, “removal is best,” Leve said. “The mouth of a tick is barbed, and so you do have to try carefully to remove it without crushing it. You can use tweezers, holding them as close to the skin as possible, and pulling upward.”
Following the removal of the tick, wash the bitten area. Leve said she does not typically recommend that ticks removed from a child be sent for testing. “Testing is available, but it’s really not necessary in most cases, and just too slow if you really had something severe, anyway.”
