STEAMBOAT SPRINGS \u2014 With a really snowy winter and a wet spring, UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center\u2019s \u201cbug\u201d expert warns of an increase in ticks and mosquitos.<\/p>\n
Moffatt County has found West Nile virus in its recent mosquito testing, but the Rocky Mountain tick may be the biggest worry right now, according to Lauren Bryan, epidemiologist and infection preventionist at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had such a wet year. Grasses are taller, and that\u2019s where the ticks live,\u201d Bryan said.<\/p>\n
She said the ticks love to hop into any crevice on your body.<\/p>\n
\u201cBehind your ankles, knees, behind your ears, arm pits \u2014 they like nice little hidden places where they can hide and not get brushed off,\u201d Bryan explained.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the only tick found in Routt County is the Rocky Mountain wood tick, and it doesn\u2019t carry lyme disease like the ticks found in other parts of the country. However, the Rocky Mountain tick carries several diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which is rare, tularemia and the Colorado tick virus.<\/p>\n
Tularemia, sometimes called rabbit fever, is a bacteria spread through droppings of small ground animals that have been bitten by ticks, Bryan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really interesting bug because you can be mowing the lawn, and it can take flight and you can inhale it and get sick,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Colorado tick virus is a virus caught after the tick bites a human, and it causes fever, chills and headaches. Symptoms usually go away in 10 days and rarely result in serious sickness.<\/p>\n
However, Bryan warns that everyone should check their bodies after any hiking or playing in high grass because \u201cthe longer the tick is on you, the longer it has to infect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is more rare, but it can be fatal if not treated with antibiotics.<\/p>\n
Bryan recommends seeing a doctor if you develop any fever,
\nrash and body aches after a tick bite, just in case it\u2019s the more serious Rocky
\nMountain spotted fever.<\/p>\n
She also said the West Nile virus has been found in Craig this summer, which means it\u2019s likely present in the mosquitos in Steamboat Springs because it\u2019s spread through the bird population.<\/p>\n
While applying DEET bug repellants on exposed skin is the
\nbest way to fight mosquitos, Bryan suggests spraying clothing with \u201cpermethrin\u201d
\nfound at outdoor shops.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt lasts for 20 washings,\u201d she said. Permethrin can repel both ticks and mosquitos, and Consumer Reports and the Centers for Disease Control said it\u2019s effective in repelling ticks and mosquitos but still not as effective as DEET. <\/p>\n
Bryan said if your animals aren\u2019t treated for ticks with monthly medication, make sure to check them regularly, especially in the crevices of their paws.<\/p>\n
As for removing ticks, Bryan said to use tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want that head to stay in your skin, and use rubbing alcohol to clean the area,\u201d Bryan said.<\/p>\n
Frances Hohl is a contributing writer for the Steamboat Pilot & Today.<\/em><\/p>\n Rocky Mountain spotted fever symptoms Tularemia symptoms from tick bite Colorado Tick Virus Source: CDC.gov<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" STEAMBOAT SPRINGS \u2014 With a really snowy winter and a wet spring, UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center\u2019s \u201cbug\u201d expert warns of an increase in ticks and mosquitos. Moffatt County has found West Nile virus in its recent mosquito testing, but the Rocky Mountain tick may be the biggest worry right now, according to Lauren Bryan, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-27951","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-21 14:41:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KIFT - The LIFT FM","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27951\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022 High fever
\n\u2022 Chills
\n\u2022 Rash
\n\u2022\u00a0Severe headache
\n\u2022\u00a0Muscle aches
\n\u2022\u00a0Nausea and vomiting
\n\u2022 Confusion or other neurological changes<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 A skin ulcer that forms at the site of infection \u2014 usually an insect or animal bite.
\n\u2022 Swollen and painful lymph glands.
\n\u2022 Fever
\n\u2022\u00a0Chills
\n\u2022 Headache
\n\u2022 Exhaustion<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Redness at bite area
\n\u2022 Chills
\n\u2022\u00a0Body aches
\n\u2022 Fever up to 105\u00b0F
\n\u2022 Severe headache
\n\u2022\u00a0Light sensitivity
\n\u2022 Muscle aches
\n\u2022\u00a0Skin tenderness
\n\u2022 Loss of appetite
\n\u2022 Nausea<\/p>\n