Spring means warmer weather, longer days, and the unwelcome return of ticks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the cases of diseases acquired from ticks, mosquitoes and fleas have more than tripled in the last 13 years.
Ticks feed on warm-blooded animals, including people, and can transmit serious illness through their bites. Those illnesses include infections, skin rashes, and Lyme disease. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness. Symptoms usually appear one to two weeks after a bite and include:
- “Bull’s-eye” rash (erythema migrans)
- Fever
- Muscle and joint pain
- Fatigue
Ticks usually live on tall grass and in wooded areas, but they can enter your home on pets or clothing. While it is a good idea to take precautions year-round, you should be cautious during warmer months when ticks are most active. The CDC and Patient First offer these tips to help you avoid tick bites while working or playing outside:
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- Wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck your pants into your socks.
- Avoid sitting on the ground.
- Remove and inspect your clothing after leaving a possible tick-infested area.
- Put clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on your clothing.
- Shower within two hours of leaving a tick-prone area to wash off ticks that may be crawling on you.
- Conduct a full-body inspection of yourself, your children and your pets.
