Online dashboard helps track tickborne illnesses

The Pennsylvania Department of Health this week announced a new online dashboard that will provide people with information about tickborne illnesses.

The dashboard will show people where ticks are prevalent so they can take appropriate precautions while outdoors, officials said.

It also will display the latest tickborne disease activity, tracking things like Lyme disease. The data includes case counts across Pennsylvania and cases in each county.

“Pennsylvania has incredible outdoor recreational opportunities, and we want to provide as much information as possible for residents to enjoy them safely,” Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen said in a statement. “Taking appropriate precautions can help avoid Lyme and other tickborne diseases that can lead to serious illness.”

Lyme disease is the most common tickborne disease in the commonwealth, officials said. Pennsylvania in 2022 ranked ninth in the nation for the number of Lyme disease cases reported by population. There were 8,413 cases that year, or nearly 65 cases per 100,000 people.

Tickborne diseases can occur any time of year, health officials said, but are most common April through August.

Health officials reminded people to reduce their risks of tick bites by avoiding areas with high grass and leaf litter, using EPA-approved insect repellents on exposed skin, wearing light-colored clothing to make crawling ticks more easily visible, conducting tick checks for people and pets after spending time in potential tick habitats and bathing or showering within two hours of coming indoors.