Ticks are most active between May and October in Pennsylvania, but it doesn’t mean that they’re not out there now.

Already, more than 1,500 cases of Lyme disease — which is spread through the bites of infected blacklegged, or deer ticks — have been confirmed this year in Pennsylvania.

The numbers are from the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s online Tickborne Diseases Dashboard, which launched in May.

“Pennsylvania has incredible outdoor recreational opportunities, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health wants to provide as much information as possible for residents to enjoy them safely,” said Leah Lind, the department’s coordinator for Lyme and Other Tickborne Diseases.

“Taking appropriate precautions can help avoid Lyme and other tickborne diseases that can lead to serious illness. That is why we launched the tickborne disease dashboard.”

Typical Lyme symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash that resembles a bull’s-eye. If left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.

According to the health department, Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tickborne illness in Pennsylvania and many other states. In 2022, Pennsylvania ranked ninth in the nation for the number of Lyme disease cases reported.

In addition to tallies of Lyme cases, the dashboard breaks down incidences by county.

Since January, no Lyme cases were reported in Carbon County, however, Schuylkill had three; Monroe had 19, and Northampton had 10.

“Disease case count data that appears on the dashboard is from lab reports and health care providers provided directly to the Department of Health,” Lind said.

The data is meant to help people understand — and prepare for — the prevalence of ticks.

Even though most cases of Lyme are reported during warmer months when more people are outside, people should remain cautious during all seasons.

“Most ticks do not die during winter so if the temperatures are above freezing, ticks may be out looking for an animal or person to feed on,” Lind said.

“Although most people get tick bites in the summer when they spend a lot of time outdoors and the tick population is high, it is possible to get a tick bite any time of the year.”

The Lyme disease case counts are updated weekly.

In addition to Lyme disease, dashboard tracks other diseases that ticks carry and can pass on to humans like anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis, Lind noted.

“Data for these diseases are based on lab reports and information from cases and health care providers, so they take more time to investigate and close. With these time constraints, data for these other diseases is updated annually when the data for the prior year is finalized,” she said.

If an attached tick is found, it should be promptly removed using fine-tipped tweezers. The tick should be grasped as close to the skin’s surface as possible and pulled upward with steady, even pressure, the department notes.

The Tickborne Disease Dashboard and more information on tickborne diseases is available from the Department of Health’s website.