Tick Season
Spring and early summer is usually tick season (and in some parts of the country mid-August through November.) Ticks are most often found in wooded areas, and adhere to people as a source of food and nourishment. There are a variety of different ticks associated with potential health conditions. The longer a tick is attached the greater the risk for tick-borne illness.
Prevent Tick Bites
- Light colored clothing, so ticks are easily spotted and removed before they attach
- Long sleeve pants and shirts. Treating clothing with permethrin is suggested by the CDC
- Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high leaf litter
- Walk in the center of trails
- Perform regular tick checks after leaving potential tick areas
Remove Ticks
- Use fine-toothed tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible
- Pull upward with slow steady pressure
- After removing the tick cleanse the bite area and your hands
- Avoid folklore remedies such as painting with nail polish, kerosene, a lighted match or petroleum jelly. Your goal is to remove the tick as soon as possible, not waiting for it to detach
Check for Symptoms
- The most common symptoms of tick borne illness are fever/chills, aches and pains and rash
- Symptoms may take a few weeks to develop
- A health care provider will do an evaluation before deciding on a course of treatment. Knowing the date of the tick encounter as well as the geographic location is important
- Tick borne diseases can result in mild symptoms easily treated at home to severe symptoms requiring hospitalization
The CDC provides many resources on tick identification, a tick bite data tracker by region, and details on various tick borne illnesses.
