Health stories -- especially ones of local interest -- are big news in most American newspapers today. In Erie, Pa., one of the most popular places to hike, bicycle or just lounge around is Presque Isle State Park. Unfortunately, for most of the past two decades the park has been a hot spot for deer ticks. If bitten by a tick and left unattended, victims run a risk of contacting Lyme disease, so most folks who visit Presque isle take precautions against the ticks.

Erie Times-News health reporter David Bruce recently spent a morning following Rob Nick, an environmental health specialist at the Erie County Department of Health. Bruce reports in today's paper that it took Nick less than a minute to find a deer tick at Presque Isle.

These babies are tiny, as a photo by Jack Hanrahan on the cover of today's health section attests. A tick in the grasp of tweezers looks small in the photograph, which is framed by a human thumbnail. The thumbnail looks huge.

I always make it a point to read stories about Presque Isle deer ticks, because I was bitten by one several years ago. It occurred during a hike in the woods at the peninsula with my son's Cub scout troop. The kids ducked under a tall tree that had fallen across the trail we were on, but, not wanting to stoop that low, I climbed over it. I didn't feel anything at the time, but later that night, I felt a little "bite" on the outside of my left hip.

When I checked the spot, I saw a tiny creature burrowing its way into my leg. I plucked it out which I learned later was a stupid thing to do. It's better to let the experts pull the dang thing out, because you usually don't get the whole thing. But I guess I had beginner's luck. I went to a doc-in-the-box and they confirmed it was a deer tick. They put me on an antibiotic, which I took for a week. Nothing happened, for which I remain grateful.

We laughed about my run-in with a deer tick, but Lyme disease is serious business. Many of us in Erie know people who suffer from paralysis and other side effects of the disease. Bruce's story in today's paper reminded Times-News readers to take precautions when walking in the woods.

Bruce also interviwed infectious diseases doctor Howard Nadworny at length, who confirmed that ticks can now be found in virtually any location in Erie County. They're transported by deer, which are quite plentiful in this region.

It's good to be informed, which Bruce's story does for readers.

-- Kevin Cuneo

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