Surge in WV Tick Bites Leads Health Departments to Offer Medication

A surge in tick bites in West Virginia has some county health departments offering an antibiotic that can prevent Lyme disease if taken within a 72-hour window of being bitten. The CDC has warned this summer is an unusually active tick season. Doctor Stephen Eshenaur with the Charleston Health Department, says for $25 residents can receive a consultation and a dose of doxycycline in different counties within the state. Residents should check for local availability…

“Preferably, if they can bring the tick in or get the tick removed as quickly as possible, we can see if they are a candidate to receive the two tablets of doxycycline for post-exposure prophylaxis.”