Tick Tock, Tick Tock…The clock is “ticking” away towards tick season and it is vital that you and your family remain safe from these buggers with professional tick control for your yard.. Not only are ticks known for transmitting the well-known Lyme disease, there have been over 75 cases across the past 10 years of a fairly new viral disease that ticks are now also transmitting through their bites – the Powassan virus. This virus, also noted as POW, belongs to the same viral strain as the West Nile virus, and humans are infected with POW through the bite of an infected tick, but is not transmitted directly from person to person. Because ticks can spread such dangerous diseases like Lyme disease, tick control is important to your family’s safety.

Symptoms of the infection usually appear between one week to one month after the initial bite from the tick, as it depends on the person’s immune system and how weak or strong they are after experiencing the bite. The symptoms have some similarities to flu-like reactions such as fevers, headaches, and vomiting, but if you also start experiencing confusion, loss of coordination, speech difficulties and seizures, you must seek medical attention immediately.

Michigan is one of the small group of states that have reported this virus occurring within its population, so it is even more important that if you suspect any signs of tick activity happening on or even around your property that you take preventative tick control measures immediately. While you can treat for ticks on your own, it is advised that you have a professional service provider, such as Safari Tree, who are trained and knowledgeable about treating ticks to eliminate the problem safely and effectively.

To learn more about this serious disease, visit the Center for Disease Control’s website.