Tick-Borne Diseases
There are over 20 known tick species in Michigan that can carry harmful bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Ticks feed on wildlife, but people may be bitten when they work or play in areas where ticks live. Ticks can be found in grassy shorelines, wooded areas, or fields near wooded areas. Ticks are not usually found indoors unless they are carried on the clothing of people or the body of a pet.
Livingston County is now designated as a county with known risk for Lyme disease. This means blacklegged (deer) ticks with Lyme bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) have been found and/or at least two human exposures occurred. Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria and is passed to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged tick. If you have been bit by a tick in the last 30 days and have a fever, headache, fatigue, rash, muscle or joint pain, or facial paralysis, see your doctor. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Peak transmission season for Lyme disease is April through September.
For health related questions, call (517) 546-9850.
Tick Prevention
- Use repellant that contains 20 to 30 percent or more DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 according to label directions. Do not use repellants on children less than six months of age.
- Wear clothing that has been treated with permethrin.
- Take a shower as soon as you can after coming indoors.
- Look for ticks on your body, paying attention to skin, scalp, neck, under arms, and behind ears.
- Put clothes in dryer on high heat for 60 minutes to kill any remaining ticks.
- Clear high grass, brush, and leaf litter around your home.
- Keep playground equipment away from yard edges and trees.
Identifying a Tick
Livingston County Health Department can help to identify ticks. If you find a tick and want it identified, you may submit a photo using our Tick Identification Form. Please follow the instructions below. If your unable to submit the identification form, please call (517) 546-9858 for further instructions.
Online Form Instructions - Tick Identification
- In a well-lit room, place the tick on a plain white or light colored surface.
- Focus the camera as close as possible to the tick, it is important that the picture is not blurry.
- Take picture # 1.
- Flip the tick over and focus camera again ensuring picture is not blurry.
- Take picture # 2.
- Submit the photos using our Tick Identification Form. The form will also ask:
- Name of submitter, phone, email address
- Date the tick was collected
- If the tick was found on a person, animal, or other
- Location where the tick exposure probably occurred: Home/Yard, School, Park/Recreation Area
- Specific location where tick exposure probably occurred: City, County, State
How to Remove a Tick
Ticks can attach to any part of the body, but they prefer creases and areas with hair. Attached ticks should be removed immediately before bacteria can move from the tick into the person.
- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
- Pull the tick straight up and out. Don’t twist or jerk the tick. This can cause the mouth parts to break off and stay in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth parts with tweezers if you can. If not, leave them alone and let your skin heal.
- After removing the tick, wash your hands and the bite area with soap and running water.
- Apply antibacterial cream to the site of the bite. You may get a small bump or redness that goes away in one to two days, like a mosquito bite. This is not a sign of Lyme disease.
Do not put hot matches, nail polish, or petroleum jelly on the tick to try to make it pull away from your skin.
Last Modified June 22, 2023
