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RALEIGH
As pests go, ticks score bonus points on the fear chart for being bloodsuckers, tucking themselves behind ears or ducking under armpits.
But unlike most spiders and other crawlies in the woods, these eight-legged parasites pose real danger, even death in rare cases.
North Carolina often leads the nation in Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases, with 674 reported in 2017 — a 5 percent increase over 2016, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
Click here for details on how to avoid tick bites from the News and Observer