Tick ​​season: How to avoid getting bitten and other things you need to know

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The CDC warns of ticks in wooded or grassy areas.

CNN –

Summer is usually the time for Americans to spend more time outdoors, and that may seem more necessary than ever after spending so much time confined to the house during the pandemic.

But while there may be less risk of Covid-19 transmission abroad, there are other diseases you can encounter in nature. Some of these come from small spiders called ticks.

Ticks do not fly, but they can stick to your skin and in some cases make you sick. Here’s what you need to know to stay safe this summer.

Lyme disease is one of the most common diseases carried by ticks. It is most frequently reported in the upper Midwest and northeastern United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Symptoms appear three to 30 days after the tick bite. They can include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and muscle and joint aches. About 70% to 80% of affected patients develop a rash that expands over time and sometimes looks like a bull’s eye.

Other tick-borne diseases include: anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, rickettsial fever and tularemia. These are also found mostly in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States.

Ticks are most active in the warmer months — from April to September — according to the CDC. They live in grassy or bushy areas or trees, and they can hold on to you if you get past whatever they rest on. So if you’re on hiking trails, for example, walk in the middle of them.

Another precaution recommended by the CDC is to use an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, IR3535, lemon oil, eucalyptus, para-menthan-diol, or 2-undecanon.

After you get home, you’ll want to check your clothing and skin for ticks.

Dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on clothes that have not been washed. If you are washing your clothes, use hot water.

Do a full body examination, especially under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the navel, the backs of the knees, in and around the hair, between the legs, and around the waist.

If you find a tick on your skin or the skin of your children, remove it immediately. Use thin tweezers to catch the tick as close to your skin as possible. Firmly pull straight. Then sterilize your hands, the affected skin area, and the tweezers.

If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing the tick, the CDC recommends seeing your doctor.

Your pets can also get diseases transmitted by ticks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says dogs are very susceptible to tick bites, which can be difficult to detect.

The agency says that signs of tick-borne illness may not appear for at least one to three weeks after the bite, so monitor your dog closely for changes in behavior or appetite if you think this has occurred.

Keep ticks away from pets in your backyard by using insecticides outdoors, removing leaf litter and tall weeds, placing a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas, piling lumber neatly and in a dry area.

Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from patio edges and trees, use fences to keep unwanted animals, such as deer or raccoons, and remove old furniture or trash from the yard that might give ticks a place to hide.

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