Long Island – Suffolk County officials are alerting residents that ticks and the illnesses they carry are becoming a growing public‑health concern. County Executive Ed Romaine said the area is the epicenter of tick‑borne disease in New York State and has the highest number of suspected alpha‑gal syndrome cases in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
County response
At a press briefing on Tuesday, Romaine outlined a three‑part plan to curb the tick population. First, the county will increase field surveillance, sending crews to map hot spots and track tick activity more closely than in previous years. Second, outreach efforts will be expanded, with educational materials distributed through schools, senior centers and local media to teach residents how to recognize and avoid ticks.
Finally, the county is preparing to apply a natural tick‑repellent spray in parks and other high‑traffic outdoor areas if data indicate it is necessary. The repellent is derived from plant‑based ingredients and is intended to reduce tick numbers without harming wildlife.
Personal impact
Romaine shared that he has personally contracted Lyme disease twice from tick bites, underscoring the seriousness of the issue. “These little creatures are very small, but they can do major, major, major damage,” he said. “Hundreds of people each year are debilitated by tick‑borne illnesses in Suffolk County.”
Precautions for families
Health officials offered practical steps for residents to protect themselves and their pets. They recommend wearing light‑colored clothing so ticks are easier to spot, staying in the center of trails rather than the edges, and conducting thorough tick checks after any outdoor activity. Pets should be kept away from known tick‑infested zones, and owners are encouraged to use veterinarian‑approved tick preventatives.
Residents are also advised to keep lawns trimmed, remove leaf litter, and create barrier zones of wood chips or gravel between wooded areas and play spaces. Prompt removal of attached ticks—grasping the head with fine‑point tweezers and pulling straight out—can reduce the chance of disease transmission.
Looking ahead
While the county has not yet released this year’s specific numbers of tick‑borne illnesses, officials said early data suggest the tick population is higher than in previous years. The new measures aim to curb that trend before case counts rise.
For ongoing updates, Suffolk County residents can follow the county health department’s website and social‑media channels, or sign up for alerts through the local emergency notification system.
Original reporting: Brookhaven News – ABC7 New York — read the source article.
