Better Health & Living: Article: No More Icky Ticks

Issue: July 2008

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No More Icky Ticks

by Susan Flagg Godbey

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Across the United States, tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, are on the rise. And summer is tick season—when creepy, crawly black-legged ticks (also known as deer ticks), dog ticks, Lone Star ticks, and others are out in force just when humans are headingoutdoors to hike, barbecue, garden, and golf.

An untreated infection can be debilitating or even deadly. Often, though, infection can be prevented by following a few simple steps, says tick researcher Thomas Mather, PhD, an entomology professor at the University of Rhode Island and director of the Center for Vector-Borne Disease there. “Almost everybody knows someone who’s had Lyme disease,” he says, “but somehow people still don’t take it seriously.”

Here’s how you can avoid ticks and the diseases they can carry.

Are tick repellents safe to use on my skin and clothes?

Yes. It’s smart to use two repellents: DEET for exposed skin and permethrin for your clothing. DEET alone isn’t enough because ticks can just crawl to areas under your clothes where the repellent wasn’t applied. But spraying your shoes and spraying or soaking clothing with a repellent containing permethrin is extremely effective because it kills ticks on contact, yet isn’t harmful to adults or children. It also lasts a long time—up to a month on unwashed clothing. You should also wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt if possible when doing yard work or walking in the woods. Tuck your pant legs into long tube socks or knee socks that have been treated with permethrin so ticks can’t reach your skin easily. Ticks don’t drop from trees. They crawl up from the ground, so protecting your feet, ankles, and legs is important.

Is it true that only tiny ticks transmit diseases?

No. Ticks have three life stages: larvae, which are not infected, and nymphs and adults, which can carry infection. An estimated one in five nymphs and one in two adult female ticks are infected with Lyme disease, which they pick up from biting small rodents like mice and chipmunks. You can’t assume that a large tick is safe. Take all ticks seriously—and always check for ticks when coming back indoors.

What’s the best way to remove a tick that’s biting me?

Don’t cover it with Vaseline or touch a hot match to it—those old-time approaches don’t work. Wipe the tick and the skin around it with a swab soaked in alcohol, then use pointed tweezers to carefully pull the tick out. It takes 24 hours for a nymph and 48 hours for an adult tick to transmit Lyme disease and other infections to a human host. If you suspect a tick has been on you for that long and you’re concerned about infection, you can save the tick in a bottle and have it tested for disease.

Ticks can attach anyplace on your body, but they tend to like areas such as the backs of knees, around waistbands, under armpits, and behind ears. They won’t wash off in the shower, so anytime you think you’ve been in tick habitat, check your entire body and remove ticks right away.

If I don’t go into the woods, am I safe from ticks?

No. Pets can bring ticks into the house. It’s a good idea to protect cats and dogs from ticks for their own health (they can get Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever just like humans) and to keep ticks out of the house by using tick-repellent sprays and treatments. Ticks prefer shady, humid areas, and they’re often brought into a yard by mice or deer. Clearing away piles of leaves; moving woodpiles away from parts of the yard you use frequently; and taking steps to deter deer, such as putting up deer fencing or even using deer repellent, can help. So can locating bird feeders away from areas of the yard that you use, which will keep mice away.

Can I have a tick-borne disease and not know it?

Yes. If you don’t see the tick or signs of the bite, you could be infected without realizing you were in danger. And some people don’t have the characteristic Lyme disease bull’s-eye rash. Stay alert for early symptoms of tick-borne diseases, which can include fatigue, chills and fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, nausea, and vomiting. For Rocky Mountain spotted fever, you may or may not see a pink rash. See your doctor and ask about lab tests. If you have an infection, you’ll be treated with antibiotics.

By Susan Flagg Godbey and the editors of Better Health & Living®