There's a new tick alert that directly affects Missouri. It's a vile disease-spreading little critter that's a threat to both humans and animals and there are specific things you need to watch out for thanks to a bulletin from the government.

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The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued this alert that was directed at Missouri residents along with those in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The problem is the Asian Long-horned Tick. They've now been confirmed in Missouri and many other states and they're a real threat especially to animals. While they don't carry Lyme Disease, they can be carriers of others.

The CDC says these terrible ticks spread quickly because they don't need a mate to reproduce. The good news is they are less attracted to human skin. The bad news (for pets and livestock) is they target animals. The government says that if enough of them cluster on an animal, they can kill it due to blood loss.

What can you do to fight the invasive Asian Long-horned Tick

The advice is to check livestock and pets regularly for ticks and they also say you can lessen the impact by " keeping grass and weeds trimmed and clearing away brush" leaving these ticks fewer places to populate.

For more updates and details, you can check out the USDA's new alert for Missouri.

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