The area may be seeing an increase in deer ticks, according to the State University College at Oneonta's Biological Field Station.
And in Otsego County, there is an increase in reported cases of Lyme disease _ which is spread to humans through deer-tick bites _ as well as inquiries about ticks, according to county health officials.
"We are seeing more calls about ticks," Peg Benjamin, of the county Department of Health, said.
The influx of hunters in the early part of deer season, when the weather is warmer, brings people into contact with deer ticks, officials with the State University Biological Field Station said in a media release Monday.
Regular deer-hunting season opens Saturday. Archery season has been open since Oct. 17.
The deer tick, also known as the black legged tick, has been collected in local state forests, and this may indicate the species is becoming more widely distributed in this area, the officials said.
Lyme disease is a bacteriological infection that originates with a deer-tick bite. It can affect the skin, nervous system, heart and joints, according to the New York State Department of Health.
According to Benjamin, there were no reported cases of Lyme disease in Otsego County in 2005. The following year, there were three. In 2007, there were eight. And in 2008, there were 21.
Some of these cases may be from people who traveled to areas more prone to Lyme disease, while other cases are indigenous, she said.
So far this year, there have been eight cases, and at least four of them originated in Otsego County, Benjamin said.
In some counties in the state, especially in the Hudson Valley, annual reported Lyme disease cases are measured in the hundreds.
The deer tick is believed to be expanding its range, and scientists have said this could be because of larger deer populations, warmer winters and the suburbanization of the landscape.
In most cases, the deer tick must be attached for 36 hours for a person to become infected with Lyme disease, according to state health officials.
Early symptoms can include a bull's-eye-shaped rash, chills and fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, muscle or joint pain and swollen glands. Later symptoms can include tingling or numbness in the arms and legs or facial paralysis. The most severe symptoms of Lyme disease may not appear until weeks, months or years after the tick bite. These can include severe headaches, painful arthritis, swelling of the joints and heart and central nervous system problems, according to the state Department of Health.
The disease can be treated effectively with antibiotics if it is diagnosed early.
Adult female deer ticks feed to engorgement once in their life cycle, with the most activity coming between August and November, Benjamin said.
But ticks will bite during the winter months on warm days, she said.
Young deer ticks, called nymphs, also transmit the bacteria that causes the disease when they are most active in the late spring and summer, according to the state Department of Health.
Deer ticks are not active when the temperature is below freezing. Ticks cannot jump or fly, and rely on a host to brush up against vegetation to which they are clinging.
"The best thing to do is check yourself every couple hours," Benjamin said.
Lyme disease can also affect dogs and cats.
