Each year the Centers for Disease Control receives approximately 30,000 reports of Lyme disease in the United States. It is a potentially serious bacterial infection that is transmitted through the bite of certain species of ticks.
According to the State Department of Health, the concentration of ticks will be higher this year due to the long, cold winter. Pulaski County Health Department Director of Environmental Health, Terri Hansen, has a few tips to take into consideration when it comes to keeping ticks off of your pets, your loved ones and yourself this summer season.
The key to prevention is to dress appropriately while outdoors. Be sure to tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants into your socks or shoes, wear long sleeves, wear light-colored clothing so spotting ticks is easier, pull your hair back, and wear a hat. If at all possible, avoid going out into wooded areas during dusk and dawn because this is the time ticks are more active.
“Check you and your family members, and even your pets, when you’ve been near where there’s any sort of foliage whatsoever. Definitely check everybody to make sure that they are tick free,” said Hansen.
The American Lyme Disease Foundation offers a reference sheet on how to remove and identify ticks as well as what symptoms are associated with tick bites. Access that here.
If you or a loved one displays any symptoms after a tick bite, contact your doctor immediately.
