The Truth About Ticks and Lyme Disease in the East Bay

Ticks pose a significant danger to both pets and humans in California. However, East Bay park officials say the disease is rare and largely preventable.

Ticks “love to hang out in our parks, they’re just like everybody else,” said Larry Moss, risk manager for East Bay Regional Park District. The district has parks in both Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

But in his 15 years with the district, Moss said he has yet to see a case of Lyme Disease in any of the 250 employees who work in the parks every day.

Still, visitors still should be vigilant about checking themselves and their dogs. Four-legged friends are more likely to pick up ticks as they rustle under bushes and through the weeds, Moss said.

Deer ticks and Western blacklegged ticks carry Lyme disease. Only blacklegged ticks, or Ixodes pacificus, are in California.  

Lyme disease starts as a tick bite and can develop into a rash, arthritis, severe headache, temporary paralysis, numbness, memory loss, mood swings and heart problems, according to the California Department of Public Health. 

The department has compiled data on Lyme disease and tick prevalence for every county in the state. Check out the interactive map above to see how East Bay counties compare to the rest of the state. 

According to the map, from 2002-2011, there were 26 cases of Lyme disease reported in Alameda County and 14 in Contra Costa. In 2003 and 2005, four people each year were diagnosed in Contra Costa County, the highest number recorded during that period. In 2008, six people were diagnosed in Alameda County.

From 1985 until 2013, the department collected 5,527 blacklegged ticks in Contra Costa County to test them for the Lyme disease agent. Of that population, 1.5 percent of the adult ticks and 2.1 percent of the nymphal ticks, or younger ticks, tested positive.

In Alameda County, 2,446 ticks were collected. Of those, 1.0 percent of adults tested positive for Lyme disease, and 5.9 percent of nymphal ticks.

With a low percentage of ticks carrying Lyme disease in the East Bay over the past 28 years, a tick bite is certainly not an automatic diagnosis. However, if a tick bites you, public health officials recommend contacting a doctor immediately. Many doctors will prescribe antibiotics to treat the area and prevent Lyme disease.

Moss also recommended combing out your dog with your fingers, paws up and head to tail, after every hike.

The East Bay is far from the most dangerous in the state as far as ticks and Lyme disease are concerned. Just south in Santa Cruz County, there have been 1.68 new cases per 100,000 people per year since 2002. Up in Trinity County, the number is up at 6.53 per 100,000 people per year.

Have you noticed ticks around lately? Any good ideas to prevent tick bites? Tell us in the comments!