Anaplasmosis/Erlichiosis
Babesiosis
Lyme Disease
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tick Paralysis
Tick Identification

- About Tickborne Diseases -

Tickborne diseases are a set of distinct diseases with similar signs and symptoms that are transmitted to humans by tick bites. In the United States, these diseases include:  Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), Anaplasmosis/Ehrlichiosis, and Babesiosis.

In Dutchess County, Lyme disease is a common tickborne disease.  The illnesses associated with these diseases can vary from mild symptoms treated at home, to severe infections requiring hospitalization for care, with the potential for death in rare cases.

Preventing exposure to ticks and the places where they live is important to preventing exposure to tickborne diseases.

As part of Dutchess County efforts to educate the public about diseases caused by ticks and mosquitoes, the Dutchess County Department of Health is promoting to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the DEET Education Program's Fight the Bite Poster Contest.  The Fight the Bite Poster Contest is open to all fifth and sixth graders across the nation and is designed to be fun and creative way for students to learn more about the importance of using repellent while outdoors to protect themselves and their families from diseases spread by mosquitoes and ticks.

Last year, two Dutchess County students, Leona Lau, a 5th grade student at Hagan Elementary School in Poughkeepsie and Rachael Ng, a 6th grade student at Rombout Middle School in Beacon, were the two New York State Winners in this national poster contest sponsored by  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the DEET Education Program.   Visit the Fight the Bite Poster Contest Website and read the County’s news release for more details.  The deadline for this year's contest is April 18th.

  
Winning entries by Leona Lau (left) and Rachael Ng (right).