Tick bites and lyme disease: How to recognize them and tips to prevent
WASHINGTON - The summer months are prime season for tick bites and the Lyme disease they can carry.
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Lily Talakoub, founder of McLean Dermatology and Skincare Center, joined us with ways to recognize ticks and their bites and with ways to prevent them from happening.
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Brown Dog Tick (Photo: CDC / Rhipicephalus sanguineus / Photo of an adult male brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, on a blade of grass.)
Preventing Tick Bites from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
BEFORE YOU GO OUTDOORS
- Know where to expect ticks.
- Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin.
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellentsexternal icon containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone.
-Avoid contact with ticks
AFTER YOU COME INDOORS
- Check your clothing for ticks and remove them
- Carefully examine gear and pets
- Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas focusing on these prts of the body:
- Under the arms
- In and around the ears
- Inside belly button
- Back of the knees
- In and around the hair
- Between the legs
- Around the waist
HOW TO REMOVE A TICK
- Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
- After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by:
- Putting it in alcohol,
- Placing it in a sealed bag/container,
- Wrapping it tightly in tape, or
- Flushing it down the toilet.
SYMPTOMS OF TICKBORNE ILLNESS
Many tickborne diseases can have similar signs and symptoms. If you get a tick bite and develop the symptoms below within a few weeks, see your healthcare provider.
The most common symptoms of tick-related illnesses include:
- Fever/chills. All tickborne diseases can cause fever.
- Aches and pains. Tickborne diseases can cause headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease may also have joint pain.
- Rash. Lyme disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, and tularemia can cause distinctive rashes.