The Owners' Manual | Issue 24 | Spring 2022

Preventing Tick-

Tick-borne diseases Lyme disease is one of the most common diseases carried by ticks. It’s most frequently reported in the upper Midwestern and Northeastern United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms show up three to 30 days after a tick bite. They can include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and muscle and joint aches. About 70% to 80% of infected patients get a rash, which expands over time and sometimes has a bull’s-eye appearance. Other tick-borne diseases include anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, spotted fever rickettsiosis and tularemia. These are also mostly found in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the US. Preventing illness Ticks are most active in the warmer months -- April through September -- according to the CDC. They live in grassy, shrub-laden or wooded areas, and can latch on to you if you brush past whatever they are resting on.

So if you’re on hiking trails, for example, walk in the center of them. Another precaution the CDC recommends is using Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol or 2-undecanone. After you come indoors, you’ll want to check your clothes and skin for ticks. Tumble-dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on garments that aren’t being washed. If you do wash your clothing, use hot water. Do a full body check, especially under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, the back of the knees, in and around the hair, between the legs, and around the waist. If you find a tick on your skin or that of your children, remove it right away. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible. Steadily pull straight up. Then disinfect your hands, the affected skin area and the tweezers. If you have a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, the CDC recommends seeing your doctor.