Don’t Let a Tick Bite Make You Ill
Ticks are notorious for being hard to spot until they’re well established, and tick bites can make you sick. Are you aware of all the risks ticks can carry? More importantly, are you doing all you can to prevent yourself, your loved ones, and your pets from exposure to ticks?
What Are the Health Risks?
The most well-known tick borne disease is Lyme disease, with over 30,000 cases per year. The bacteria that cause this disease spread after a tick bites, and can cause a rash, headache, and fever, and eventually lead to arthritis as well as neurological and cardiac disorders. However, North American ticks spread at least eleven other diseases, including:
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
- Tularemia
- Q fever
- Ehrlichiosis
Several of these diseases can turn deadly, and not all are detectable on the skin or by other symptoms until the infection is advanced.
How Can You Prevent Tick Bites?
The best way to prevent tick bites is by staying away from areas commonly known to host ticks, such as areas of tall grass. Alternatively:
- Cover yourself. Wear clothing that covers the arms and legs and presents a barrier to any ticks.
- Use a repellent. Look for a repellent marked to repel ticks. However, ticks may be able to walk over areas of skin sprayed with repellent, so consider clothing treated with permethrin, a tick repellant substance.
- Stay away from shade. Ticks don’t adapt well to direct sunlight, meaning they tend to stay in shaded areas.
- Wear light colored clothing. Lighter colored clothing makes it easier to spot any ticks that may have caught a ride from your hike to your home.
- Check your pets. You should check your pets for ticks after every walk – particularly those in grass or a wooded area. In addition, regularly use tick prevention for your pets.
Once you get home, do a thorough check for ticks, including any small red bumps that could indicate a tick bite. If you find a tick, remove it immediately with tweezers, being careful to keep the tick intact.
Reach out to The Bug Guy if you have questions regarding ticks, or with any questions about pest control in OKC or spider control in OKC.
Sources:
https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/spring17/articles/spring17pg25-27.html
https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/index.html
https://www.livescience.com/46160-how-to-avoid-tick-bites.html