Summer Fun and Summer Danger: Preventing Tick-Transferred Lyme Disease

Summer is right around the corner, which means everyone will be spending more time outside. This also means an increase risk for ticks and Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is passed most commonly through the young ticks, called nymphs. They must be attached to the host for two to three days in order for the disease to be transferred.

Lyme disease can be very debilitating. Symptoms of Lyme disease include rashes, chills, fever, and body aches at the early stages, and facial or Bell’s palsy, painful swollen joins, and even arthritis in later stages. Children are more affected by Lyme disease, so prevention is very important, especially in moths where outdoor play is high.

Here are some tips from the Center of Disease Control on how to prevent tick bites and Lyme disease:

·         When hiking, stay on the middle of the trail.

·         Avoid heavily wooded areas for long periods of time.

·         Bathe within two hours of returning from heavily wooded areas.

·         Do a full-body check, especially in hard to reach places like back of knees, hair, armpits, bellybutton, and ears. Use a mirror if checking yourself.

·         Examine clothes or gear that was outside. Run clothes through the dryer on high (for about an hour) to ensure ticks have been removed.

·         Check outdoor pets thoroughly every day. If found, remove immediately

Besides these tips, tick repellants are also a safe and effective way to prevent tick bites. Products like tick block are applied directly to clothing and fabrics. It is colorless and odorless and treats an entire outfit, making a tick barrier – perfect for days of long hiking or camping, and lasts multiple washings.

DEET is also an effective tick repellant. It is highly powerful, but can also act as a skin irritant and should not be used under clothing or on broken skin. Young children should only use a low-concentration solution, and any application should be washed off when not needed. There are risks involved in using DEET, so always read instructions before use.

Keeping your yard a tick free zone is also important. Keep tall grasses away from the house. A barrier of gravel and woodchips between wooded areas and yards or play areas. Keep playground equipment away from wooded areas, and mow lawn frequently and keep piles of leaves off the lawn.

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