Know About Ticks and Lyme Disease
I recently spent my Sunday in the Emergency Room due to a classic "target" shaped bite that showed up on my ankle after an Earth Day weekend of clearing trails and picking up roadside garbage near Westport, N.Y.
Not only did I get to spend my leisure time with the ER staff but I, usually so diligent with tick searches, did everything wrong regarding my own health. So to save you a trip to the ER and a bothersome dose of antibiotics, here are some safety tips for tick prevention.
I live in the northern sector of the Adirondack Park and did not take in consider that the above average warm temperatures in the southern Adirondacks would bring out ticks earlier than usual. I had dressed for the cold with dark pants and socks. I was on my knees clearing brush and digging out long forgotten garbage. I was careless and now have a 14-day round of antibiotics to show for it.
By the time I noticed the classic bullseye tick bite indicator, I no longer had the tick to identify. Based on the shape of the rash and that I had been out in the woods, the doctor recommended that I take the course of antibiotics as a safety measure.
I could have been bitten by a wood tick, not a deer tick, but with no arachnid to identify, I erred on the side of caution. If you are bitten, save the tick by extracting it (directions below) and putting in a glass jar.
As soon as I noticed the classic bullseye, I immediately went to the ER to be examined. The chance that I will contract Lyme Disease and suffer any permanent damage are slim. Not every tick bite carries Lyme Disease.
The eight-legged deer ticks are of the arachnid family, and even when full grown will be about the size of a sesame seed. Deer ticks are significantly smaller than the larger wood ticks the dog may bring home. (Dogs can also contract Lyme, so check your animals frequently.)
A deer tick must be attached to its host for at least 24 hours in order to transfer the disease. So remember to continue to check for ticks after every outing and wash all outside clothes.
Lyme Disease is not the only bacterial infection spread by deer ticks. Anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are the other less commonly known diseases. Each disease has some common symptoms such as fatigue, fever, chills and muscle ache. The symptoms won't start to materialize from anywhere from one week to eight weeks, which makes proper diagnosis difficult.
According to the New York State (NYS) Department of Health these simple procedures will help to avoid tick bites.
1) Wear light-colored clothing to spot ticks easily, tuck pants into socks and shirt into pants when in tick-infested habitats, including wooded and grassy areas.
2) Check for ticks on clothing or skin after every two to three hours outdoors. Brush off any ticks on clothing before they can attach to skin. Check children and pets regularly for ticks.
3) Check entire body for ticks at the end of the day.Pay particular attention to the back of the knees, behind the ears, the scalp, the armpits and your back.
4) Carefully read and follow instructions on insect repellent product labels. 5) Don't apply repellents directly to children. Apply to your own hands, using your hands to apply to the child.
6) Products containing permethrin should be applied to clothing, not skin, treating the clothing before putting it on.
7) Don't assume that repellents will provide complete protection from ticks.
8) Removing a tick within 36 hours after it begins feeding, reduces your risk of infection. To remove a tick: Use tweezers, grasping the tick near the mouthparts, as close to the skin as possible. Don't squeeze, crush or puncture the body of the tick, which may contain infectious fluids. Pull the tick in a steady, upward motion away from the skin.
9)After removing the tick, disinfect the bite site with soap, rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Wash your hands carefully. Record the date and location of the tick bite. If a rash appears or you experience flu-like symptoms over the next 30 days, contact your health care provider immediately.
Have fun in the woods, but be careful when you are there. Please check yourself and your children frequently for ticks.
Diane Chase is the author of Adirondack Family Time Lake Placid and the High Peaks. Her second Adirondack Family Time guidebook for the Champlain Valley: Plattsburgh to Ticonderoga will be in stores this summer 2012.
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