New app helps researchers track ticks

Chris Lueneburg by Chris Lueneburg

Researchers in the UW Department of Entomology have developed an application to help users report and identify tick bites.

The Tick App asks users to log their contact with ticks every day for a two week-period. Researchers hope that this information will help them learn more about where and when people encounter ticks, with the ultimate goal of discovering how to limit people’s exposure to tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease.

In addition, the app informs users about tick safety and helps identify types of ticks and the risks that are associated with them, an increasingly important service as tick season comes into full swing, according to UW Entomology Department chair Susan Paskewitz.

“Right now, in June is when we tend to see the highest population of the immature stages,” said Paskewitz. “These nymph ticks that are so tiny and so difficult to find when they get on your person, and yet they can do most of the disease transmission.”

Over 100 people are already active on the app, which can be downloaded on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

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