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Cayuga Health Urges Hunters to Prevent Tick Bites

Cayuga County Health officials are urging hunters to take steps to prevent tick bites during the upcoming hunting season. Ticks, which live in grassy and wooded areas, can bite people and animals and carry germs that cause diseases such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia.

Officials recommend using an EPA-registered insect repellent while outdoors and wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and tucking pant legs into socks or boots. Treating clothing and gear with 0.5% permethrin before hunting is also advised.

After hunting, individuals and their pets should be thoroughly checked for ticks. It is important to inspect areas where ticks can hide, such as in and around the hair, ears, under the arms, around the waist, inside the belly button, between the legs, and at the back of the knees.

Additional precautions include showering after returning from the outdoors and promptly removing any ticks found using tweezers. Hunters and others are advised to call their healthcare provider if they develop a fever, rash, or feel ill after spending time in tick-infested areas and to mention any tick bites.

More details on preventing tick bites can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Source: Cayuga County Health

Source Type: Community

Source Location: Cayuga County

Oct 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM

Community