Summertime is a time to get outside and explore. The layers are shed, and many get out to hike the trail. Throughout the outing and after, make sure to check your skin for small black specks – they may be ticks!
Ticks are very active in the warmer months – spring through fall. They go from tall grass or trees to clothing and onto the skin of humans. They can even hide under dog hair when your dog goes out with you. Knowing there are tick bites can be difficult because the bite itself is relatively painless.
How to Prevent Tick Bites
When you are going out to hike to explore, keep these tips in mind to lessen the chance of a tick bite.
- Wear a long sleeve, lightweight shirt.
- Wear a hat.
- Wear long pants, with socks – tuck the pants into the socks and shirts into pants.
- Wear light-colored clothing so it can be easier to see ticks if they land on you.
- Wash clothes immediately in hot water, and tumble dry clothes on high heat for 40 minutes or low heat for 70 minutes.
- Use an insect repellant containing DEET.
Check For Ticks
Once home from a walk outside, make sure to check yourself, kids and pets for any ticks. After checking, take a hot shower. Make sure to shower within two hours of coming indoors.
Check these areas:
- Behind the ears and knees – these areas can hide ticks easily.
- In the belly button
- At all joints
- At the waist line
- At the ankle line
- At the waist
- Between the legs
- In the hairline
How to Remove a Tick
If you find a tick, the key is to remove it quickly. If the body of the tick is not engorged, it means that it has not been on long and is least likely to transmit illnesses like Lyme disease. Pull off the tick fully, including the head and body. Clean a pair of tweezers with rubbing alcohol and pull it firmly. Save the tick if you need to provide it to your medical provider or health department later.
If you cannot get the tick out, stop pulling at it and see an urgent care or your primary care quickly. The provider will remove it quickly.
If a tick is crawling on you, but has not bitten – remove it quickly and dispose of it. You can put it in a sealed bag, throw it out, or flush it down the toilet to avoid it getting on you or a family member.
If the tick has been on for over 36 hours or thought to be for the time period, your medical provider will likely prescribe a prophylactic antibiotic dose. The antibiotic is a treatment to prevent the long-term side effects of the three major tick-borne diseases.
What to Watch For
Your medical provider will likely review this with you but we will review it here as well. If, after a known or unknown tick bite, a rash appears in a “target” pattern – that is, a bullseye much like the store of the same name, you need to see a medical provider quickly. This rash is called erythema migrans. The symptoms of headache, fever, chills, lymphadenopathy, malaise, fatigue, myalgia, and arthralgia can also occur from Lyme disease. Unnoticed Lyme disease can lead to multiple joints swelling or pain, nerve issues like Bell’s Palsy, and heart issues. There are pictures of rashes at the CDC site here.
There are other illnesses that ticks can transmit beyond Lyme disease, including Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis. Know your area with the maps on the CDC website to know your risk. The key is checking for ticks frequently and removing them when you see them.
