A favorite summer pastime is getting out into nature and taking a hike through the woods.
But a major concern across New York has been the growing number of ticks and tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease.
The New York Department of Health’s Director of the Center for Community Health Travis O’Donnell says there’s nothing to fear if the right precautions are taken.
"It's good to be vigilant, but don't let that make you afraid of the outdoors," says O'Donnell. "There are common sense things you can do to prevent yourself from ticks. Wearing long pants, long sleeve shirts, keeping your hair tied back. And really the most common sense thing of all is to is to do tick checks at the end of the day."
The Department of Health has seen the number of reported Lyme disease cases numbering in the thousands over the past several years.
