The Tick App: Report Tick Encounters to Help Further Research Efforts
Concerned about the risk of tick bites in your parks and neighborhood?
Using a smartphone app, researchers from Columbia University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Michigan State University, and the University of Wisconsin – Madison are trying to determine where and how often people become exposed to ticks across the United States. The Tick App is funded by the Centers for Disease Control.
The main goal of this project is to study human behavior, tick exposure and the risk of Lyme Disease using a citizen science approach via a smartphone application, The Tick App. The Tick App uses a combination of surveys and geolocation technology to uncover how people’s day-to-day activities play a role in their risk for tick-borne diseases. This information can help to develop disease control programs that allow people to enjoy their outdoor activities safely while reducing disease risk.
By using features within this application, you are assisting research to better understand how and where people are becoming exposed to ticks. This will then help scientists to design better prevention strategies that reduce your exposure to ticks.
If you live in a high-risk area, sharing your experience and perspective with will help researchers learn about the risk factors for tick borne disease and design better methods that prevent tick bites and tick-borne disease. Your input is valuable!
The Tick App provides information on how to remove ticks, prevent tick bites, and general information about ticks. If available, information is also provided about blacklegged/ deer tick activity in your area.
Once you download the app and register for an account, you will be asked to take one enrollment survey that will help capture your baseline risk of exposure to ticks. You will then receive a weekly message to monthly message to start your tick diary during the high-risk months (May to September). The tick diary, or activity report, should take less than a minute to complete. It asks if you or a household member encountered a tick and what you did that day. When you start the tick diary, you will receive a daily reminder until you complete 15 reports.
What is this study about?
In two words, Lyme disease.
Lyme disease can be transmitted to humans after a tick bite. This study is designed to help understand how people’s practices and activities impact their exposure to ticks. This research is being conducted because Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease (infections transmitted by the bite of infected arthropod species, such as mosquitoes, ticks, sandflies, etc.) in the United States.
The information provided will help design integrated control strategies to prevent diseases transmitted by ticks.
