T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Janell Vota checks her dog Max for ticks after playing in the yard.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Lyme disease is like a ticking time bomb across Belmont County, which has reported more cases of the illness this year than any other county in the Buckeye State.

The Belmont County Health Department has confirmed 106 Lyme disease cases so far in 2025.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, as of July 30, Belmont County had seen 94 cases,

Jefferson County had 88 confirmed cases, Harrison County had 21 and Monroe County had seven. It reported 1,131 total cases confirmed statewide.

The topic arose Monday as St. Clairsville City Council members discussed the numerous complaints they have received from residents this year regarding an overabundance of deer in the city, Deer are known to carry ticks that spread Lyme disease.

The uptick in local cases has left many wondering what to do if they find a blacklegged tick on their body.

Belmont County Deputy Health Commissioner Rob Sproul remarked on the increased number of Lyme disease diagnoses in the county.

“For the past couple of years, we’ve been seeing an uptick in the number of Lyme disease cases,” he said. “We’re getting new species of ticks moving into Ohio, which are contributing to that, along with other diseases that ticks carry.”

He added that residents have to be a little more on their toes, keeping an eye out for the increase of ticks and Lyme disease in the community.

Ticks can be found throughout the world, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that only a select few types of ticks transmit bacteria, viruses and parasites, or pathogens, that cause diseases in people. But even if the number of tick species that transmit diseases to humans is relatively low, ticks that can infect humans are a notable threat.

Such ticks carry pathogens that the CDC notes can cause a number of diseases, including Bourbon virus, Ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease, among others.

Sproul suggests that residents wear protection to keep ticks off of them. He added that he knows some people were afraid of the DEET products, but there are other newer products available in stores that protect against not just ticks but several insects.

DEET is an insect repellent that is used in products to prevent bites from creatures such as mosquitoes, biting flies, fleas and small flying insects. DEET is a colorless liquid that has a faint odor and does not dissolve easily in water.

According to the National Pesticide Information Center, people who have left DEET products on their skin for extended periods of time have experienced irritation, redness, a rash and swelling.

“So, again, chemicals to prevent ticks latching on to you and clothing when you come in from outside looking for the ticks,” he said.

Sproul added that if anyone suddenly sees a bullseye rash to seek medical attention.

“Some of these ticks are very, very small. So it might have got on you and feasted on you and then left. That’s a possible Lyme disease indicator. At that point, you should get tested because they could get you on antibiotics and get you taken care of before it affects your health,” he said.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, if you are bitten by a tick, carefully remove the tick, including its mouthparts, from your skin using tweezers. Monitor your health the following days. While the CDC recognizes a 36- to 48-hour window is needed for disease transmission, there is evidence that transmission can occur sooner.

Symptoms of Lyme disease may include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches and swollen lymph nodes.

Erythema migrans is a rash that occurs in approximately 70%-80% of infected people. The rash begins at the site of a tick bite after a delay of three to 30 days, although the average time to appear is about seven days. The rash expands gradually over several days, reaching up to 12 inches or more across.

Erythema migrans may feel warm to the touch but are not typically itchy or painful. Erythema migrans sometimes clears as it enlarges, resulting in a target or bull’s-eye appearance, and the rash may appear on any area of the body.

Some symptoms may appear days to months after a tick bite. These may include severe headaches and neck stiffness; additional Erythema migrans rashes that appear on other areas of the body; facial palsy characterized by a loss of muscle tone or droop on one or both sides of the face; arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, particularly in the knees and other large joints; intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones; Lyme carditis, which is a condition characterized by heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat; episodes of dizziness or shortness of breath; inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, nerve pain, shooting pains and numbness or tingling in the hands or feet.

Sproul said that ticks still are prevalent in the winter. He added that residents still need to be aware and monitor their health just as closely during the winter months as in the summer.