An Illinois family who once enjoyed leisurely walks through their favourite beauty spot has been left horrified after a swarm of massive ticks descended upon them. Stacy Riley, along with her family and their beloved dog Greta, was taking a stroll through Rock Cut State Park in April when the parasitic bugs suddenly took over.
Within just 20 minutes, the insects, which can transmit Lyme disease to both humans and animals, latched onto their skin and accompanied them home, Riley told WIFR. 'We were in shock. It was gross. I looked down and saw three ticks on the back of my husband's leg,' the grandmother recalled. 'Then I noticed that I had a couple on my arm. We all had ticks on us.'
Realising the bugs were everywhere, Riley grabbed her dog and family and rushed to their car. They discovered even more ticks, including some that had grasped onto their scalps, before heading home. Once they got back, the family realised that Greta also had some on her.
The following morning, after the fluffy dog had slept with Riley and her husband, several dead ticks fell onto their bed, she shared. 'That's definitely the most ticks I've ever seen. In total, we probably found 30 or 35 ticks that day, and the next day, just from that 20 minutes at Rock Cut,' Riley told the outlet.
Following the frightening incident, Rock Cut State Park officials said they are anticipating a rise in ticks this season, according to the local station. 'We advise wearing long pants and tucking the pants into your socks when hiking in high weed or grass areas,' officials said. 'We also recommend a quick body scan once done. We are stocking tick repellent now.'
In recent years, the presence of ticks has surged, leading to an increase in emergency room visits for tick bites, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People can become infected with Lyme disease if bitten by an infected tick. A specific species, known as the blacklegged tick or deer tick, is known to carry the disease.
Though not all ticks transmit the disease, those that do need to be attached for 24 to 48 hours to spread it. Lyme disease causes inflammation in the skin, joints, heart, and nervous system if left untreated. Permanent health complications, including neurological and cardiac problems, can occur if nothing is done to treat the disease. Antibiotics are often prescribed to treat Lyme disease and typically lead to a full recovery.
Tick season normally runs from early spring to late fall, but according to Samantha Kerr with the Illinois Department of Public Health, that time period could extend this year at the park. 'We had a really mild winter this past season. So that kind of brought our spring temperatures here earlier in the year, which brings the ticks out,' Kerr told the outlet, adding that there is a chance the bugs could still be out in December.
