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Just Say NO to Ticks!

By Jennifer Green May 19, 2016
Outdoor season is officially underway!

While it's fun to plan your next outdoor adventure, don't forget to take some precautions against ticks. Those nasty, uninvited guests can quickly ruin your fun, and aside from being pretty gross, these little vampires also carry Lyme disease.

May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, so we thought this would be a good time to share some facts and tips to help keep you safe this summer.

You can get Lyme disease when you're bitten by a deer tick that is carrying a bacterium called a spirochete. In the early stages, the bacterium affects the skin, and if untreated, can spread to the joints and nervous system. 

The disease itself is a "multi-system inflammatory disease" and this can make it difficult to diagnose because of the range of issues it causes. But the first identifiable symptom the disease causes is usually the "bull's eye" rash. This rash usually appears 1 to 2 weeks after transmission. On darker skin tones, this rash may appear as a darker area of skin, or resemble a bruise. 

Along with the rash, early symptoms can include fatigue, joint pain, fever and chills. 

Before you go:

  • The CDC recommends using bug repellents with 20 to 30% DEET on exposed skin and clothing. Consider pre-treating clothes and gear with permethrin (the product should be at least 0.5% permethrin).

When you get home:

  • When you're out hiking on a beautiful summer day, stay to the center of the trail and avoid heavily wooded areas with high grass.
  • Do a tick check as soon as you get home, and don't forget your dog! Taking a shower or bathing as soon as you get home can also help wash off any ticks that may have hitched a ride home on you but haven't attached yet. Also, put your clothes in the dryer on high for about an hour- this will kill any ticks that may be hiding on your clothes.
Got a tick? Don't panic! There are a lot of gadgets out there to help remove a tick, but good old fashioned tweezers work. Check out the CDC's guidelineshere.

Want more info? Check out the American Lyme Disease Foundation'swebsite for more about Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.