There are 48 different species of tick in California and most of them are not known disease carriers. In Alameda County the American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis), Pacific Coast tick (Dermacentor occidentalis) and Western Black-legged Tick (Ixodes pacificus) are the three most common ticks; they are the vectors of Tick-borne Relapsing Fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis and Lyme disease. In addition, people and domestic animals can develop Tick Paralysis following a tick bite.
Our District conducts tick surveillance and disease testing. Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Tularemia have been identified from the ticks collected in the County. Hikers, campers and anyone working or playing outdoors in the brushy area should take special caution to avoid a tick bite.
Our District provides tick identifications, educational presentations, and to helps facilitate testing.
Documents:
- Public Health Significance of Ticks in Alameda County (PDF – 2.1mb)*
- Lyme disease Surveillance Statistics in Alameda County from 2013 to 2022 (PDF – 608kb)*
- Lyme Disease Brochure (PDF – 516kb)*
- Map of Black-legged ticks found in Alameda County (PDF – 871kb)*
- Tick Bite Information Form (PDF – 25kb)*
- Instructions for Submitting ticks for Testing (PDF – 98kb)*
- National Lyme Clinical Trials Network Gains Its First West Coast Center, Thanks to $1M+ Donation from Bay Area Lyme Foundation
- UCSB researchers aim to raise awareness of tick-borne Lyme disease in California
- A gross side effect from California’s extra wet winter: More disease-carrying ticks this spring
- Recent storms could lead to terrible tick season for Bay Area, especially in this county
- CA Lyme Disease: Ticks Entering Most Active Time Of Year
* Portable Document Format (PDF) file requires the free Adobe Reader.