Out of 5,000 ticks sampled from across New York last year, nearly one-third were carrying Lyme disease. Here's a list of the most likely places they could be on your body.

Upstate Medical University's Citizen Science Tick Testing Program tests tick for free. One of the questions for the study askes if the tick was on the human body, where? The new data reveals that most were found on the thigh.

The report is from 722 deer tick submissions that were found attached to a human between March to July:

  • 15.8% were found on the thigh
  • 7.6% stomach
  • 7.6% waist
  • 6.6% groin
  • 6.6% upper back
  • 6.5% scalp
  • 6.2% calf/shin
  • 5.9% upper arm
  • 5.9% behind the knee
  • 5.1% armpit
  • 5.1% neck
  • 5% lower back

Ticks were also found on the chest, shoulder, in or around the ears, lower arm or wrist, ankle, hand, face, inside the belly button, and foot.

Hot spots for a tick carrying Lyme disease:

  • Upper back
  • Stomach
  • Behind the knee
  • Thigh

Saravanan Thangamani, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology at Upstate and director of the SUNY Center for Environmental Health and Medicine, says the new information will help inform the public of the most likely places on the body ticks are found. "When someone comes inside from being out in areas that ticks are prevalent, it is important to inspect your body and look for ticks."

If you find a tick on your body, use a fine-tipped tweezer to grasp the tick close to the skin's surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Get it tested quickly for free to find out if it was carrying a disease.

Thangamani says, "Unlike mosquitoes that are mainly a nuisance in the evenings, ticks are always active. They are out there waiting for you to walk by."

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