How To Prevent Tick Born Illness

As a pest control professional with All-American Pest Control, I have been alarmed by the increasing number of tick sightings, treatment requests and diagnosed tick born diseases in Middle Tennessee this year. Personally, I was troubled to find a tick crawling on my 2 year old in March! Ticks and tick born illnesses are serious this year. I found the information about reducing your chances of getting a tick-borne disease on the CDC website. It’s good information… read on and take this seriously this summer!

You can reduce your chances of getting a tick born illness by:

• using repellents

• checking for ticks

• showering after being outdoors

Before You Go Outdoors

Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in moist and humid environments, particularly in or near wooded or grassy areas. You may come into contact with ticks during outdoor activities around your home or when walking through leaf litter or near shrubs. Always walk in the center of trails in order to avoid contact with ticks.

Products containing permethrin kill ticks. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remain protective through several washings.

Use a repellent with DEET on skin. Repellents containing 20% or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) can protect up to several hours. Always follow product instructions. Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding the hands, eyes, and mouth. For detailed information about using DEET on children, see recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

For detailed information about tick prevention and control, see Avoiding Ticks. Detailed information for outdoor workers can be found at NIOSH Safety and Health Topic: Tick-borne Diseases.

After You Come Indoors

Check your clothing for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Placing clothes into a dryer on high heat for at least an hour effectively kills ticks.

Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and it is a good opportunity to do a tick check.

Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, which even includes your back yard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check these parts of your body and your child’s body for ticks:

• Under the arms

• In and around the ears

• Inside belly button

• Back of the knees

• In and around the hair

• Between the legs

• Around the waist

What to Do if You Find an Attached Tick

Remove the attached tick as soon as you notice it by grasping with tweezers, as close to the skin as possible, and pulling it straight out. For detailed information about tick removal, see the tick removal page.

Watch for signs of illness such as rash or fever in the days and weeks following the bite, and see a health care provider if these develop. Your risk of acquiring a tick-borne illness depends on many factors, including where you live, what type of tick bit you, and how long the tick was attached. If you become ill after a tick bite, see a health care provider.

Again, you can read the full article from the CDC website here. If you would like information about yard treatments for ticks & fleas from my company, All-American Pest Control… give us a call or shoot us an email. Our yard treatments consist of granular applications to the yard and misting applications to your landscaping.

During the month of July, mention Dave Ramsey to get $30 off a Tick & Flea yard treatment or Perimeter PLUS Pest Control for Mosquitoes.