Tis The Season: Ticks & Lyme Disease, What Your Realtor Wants You To Know
With the warmer weather, it’s a great time to get out and explore everything Wild & Wonderful in West Virginia! However, one wild critter you might want to avoid, and should definitely know about, is the humble tick. These arachnids may slightly resemble spiders in appearance, but in practical terms, are more analogous to mosquitos. Namely, they enjoy drinking blood, and can carry disease–including Lyme disease.
As your area experts and resident REALTORS® here are three big things we want you to know, followed by some additional helpful resources.
1st. This is not unique to Jefferson County, or even West Virginia. Lyme Disease is actually a global issue, but is particularly prevalent in Canada, Europe, and the US. Within the US, the north and mid eastern states, from North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and up, have some of the highest rates. Check out this interactive map from Johns Hopkins.
2nd. Prevention is key. Preventing ticks, or finding and removing them quickly within 24 hours, goes a VERY long way in protecting you and your loved ones from possibly chronic Lyme disease. At a minimum, during the warm season get in the habit of doing a daily tick check. Using tick repellents when you’re enjoying nature can also help. If you think you’ve been bitten, call your doctor. Catching and addressing Lyme disease early seems to make a big difference in the effectiveness of treatment.
3rd. We get it, and we’re here for you. We personally have many friends and some family members, who have, or are still, battling Lyme or dealing with its aftermath. Buying or selling a home can be challenging in the best of circumstances. If you are currently struggling with Lyme, we know that on top of everything else, you may also have extra layers of exhaustion, brain fog, joint pain, and other miscellaneous, and seemingly random symptoms. Take your time. We’re here for you and we understand. Some days you might feel ready to conquer the world. Others you might not be able to get in the car. It’s ok. You hired professionals for a reason. We’ll work with you to accomplish your goals no matter what you’re going through.
Additional Resources. Knowledge is power. Here are a couple of resources to help you kickstart your study on ticks and Lyme disease.
- What Do Ticks Look Like?: Not sure what you’re looking for? Here is a very helpful article from the CDC, complete with scaled pictures.
- How Do Ticks “Hunt?”: Here’s a 5 min video that discusses how ticks get to you in the first place.
- Increase Your Odds: Five tips for preventing tick bites-Video. (This article also discusses tick removal). Johns Hopkins Medicine Lyme Disease Research Center.
- What Is Lyme Disease?:
- Symptoms, treatment etc. Johns Hopkins Medicine
- About Lyme, how you get it, who is most at risk, diagnosing, treatment etc. Global Lyme Alliance
- Diagnostics, treatment, chronic Lyme, information for researchers etc. National Institute of Health
- West Virginia Office of Epidemiology & Prevention Services: Lyme Disease info.
Ticks, and Lyme disease, should be taken very seriously. But we don’t believe in living in fear. Get out there and enjoy life! How can we help?
