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Tick-Borne Illnesses

Info For Health Departments

• Alerts & Hot Topics
• Disease Manuals & Guides
• Support Services
• DHHS Forms
• Tools & Websites

Alerts & Hot Topics

• NC DHHS Memo: NC Veterinary Tick Identification Program Updated: May 2026 (PDF, 351 KB)
• NC DHHS Memo: Annual Update on Diagnosis and Surveillance for Tickborne disease - Updated: April 6, 2023 (PDF, 215 KB)

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Manuals & Guides

• NC DHHS: N.C. Communicable Disease Manual for Local Health Departments - Case definitions, investigation steps, and reporting information for the tick-borne illnesses reportable in North Carolina: ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
• NC DHHS: Lyme Disease Resources for Health Departments – Diagnosis, treatment, testing, reporting, lab guidance and continuing education resources from CDC, IDSA, ACP, CDN and others.
• CDC: Clinical Care of Babesiosis
• CDC: Diagnosis and Management of Tickborne Rickettsial Diseases: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Other Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses, Ehrlichioses, and Anaplasmosis — United States - A Practical Guide for Health Care and Public Health Professionals (MMWR, May 13, 2016).

Prevention and Patient Education:

• From NC DHHS:
  • Do you feel ILL after exposure to TICKS or tick habitats? Color poster - 11"x17" (PDF, 2.21 MB) and 8½"x11" (PDF, 1 MB)
  • Safe Use of DEET and Other Insect Repellents
• American Academy of Pediatrics - Healthy Children: Safety & Prevention, Insect Repellents

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Services

• Communicable Disease Nurse Consultants (PDF, 33KB)- Regional Medical Consultation Unit staff supporting LHD Communicable Disease Nurses across the state.
• N.C. Communicable Disease Branch - Contact us to speak with our Medical Consultation Unit or the Epidemiologist on call.
• Technical Assistance and Training Program (TATP)
• State Laboratory of Public Health - Virology and serology services for babesiosis, Lyme disease, rickettsia, and more.

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DHHS Forms

• Form 2124 (PDF) - Physicians and healthcare providers may use this form when notifying the local health department of cases or suspected cases of reportable diseases.
• Form 3445 (PDF) – Use this form to order arboviral and rickettsial serology from the State Laboratory of Public Health
• NC Tick Identification Submission Form - Human
• NC Tick Identification Submission Form - Large Animal
• NC Tick Identification Submission Form - Animal Shelters

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Tools & Websites

• Clinical Directors Network : Free Webinar CME course: Recognizing and Treating Tick-Borne Diseases - Sponsored by Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and DEET Education Program. Free registration required.

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