November Special Notice from Mount Vernon and Vienna Health Officer

Beth Trehu, MD

Tick-borne Illnesses are on the Rise!

This message is important for anyone spending time outside and in the woods during this unusually warm November, especially hunters!  The number of tick-borne illnesses in Maine is higher than in 2025, which was a record-breaking year.  

Here are the recommendations from Maine CDC:

After Your Outdoor Activity

• Check your clothing and gear for ticks. Ticks can come into your house on clothing. Toss clothing in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes before washing. This will kill any ticks on your clothing. If your clothes are damp, you may need to run the dryer for longer to kill ticks.

• Check pets for ticks. Pets can bring ticks into the home. These ticks can bite a family member later. Check any pets that go outside for ticks and remove them. Talk to your veterinarian about ways to protect your pets from ticks.

• Shower soon after being outdoors. Take a shower within 2 hours of coming indoors. This can help remove crawling ticks and is a good time to do a tick check.

• Check your body for ticks. Remember that ticks can be as small as a poppy seed. Use a mirror to help you check all over your body. Make sure to check:

o In and around the hair

o In and around the ears

o Under the arms

o Inside the belly button

o Around the waist

o Between the legs

o Behind the knees

• Remove ticks as soon as possible. If you find a tick attached, use tweezers or a tick spoon to remove the tick quickly. Make sure to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Avoid pinching the tick in the middle of its body. Put the tick in a sealed container to throw away or place it in rubbing alcohol to preserve it for later testing. 

• Determine if it is a deer tick or a dog tick (see CDC Tick ID poster) and the amount of time the tick was attached.

• Watch for symptoms for 30 days

Contact a health care provider in either of the following situations:

1. If you think the tick is an engorged deer tick that was attached for at least 24 hours.

2. If any of these symptoms occur within 30 days.

• Fever

• Chills/Sweats

• Headache

• Muscle aches

• Joint aches

• Unusual fatigue

• Rash

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Loss of appetite

• Neck stiffness

 

In addition to Lyme disease, other tick-borne illnesses of concern in Maine are anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Hard Tick Relapsing Fever (HTRF), and Powassan.  Cases of ehrlichiosis and tularemia have also been reported.

 

It’s important to seek medical help if you have symptoms, because most tickborne diseases in Maine are treatable, and most patients recover after receiving appropriate therapy. However, untreated infections can lead to serious rheumatologic, cardiac, and neurologic manifestations. Don’t let that happen to you!

 

Maine CDC Website, November 7, 2026