It’s another bad season for ticks

The state says this year is another bad season for ticks.”Every year is a bad tick year because they can carry things that can make us sick,” said Christian Boyer, a tick specialist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.Ticks can cause Lyme disease.They’re often found in tall grass or wooded areas.If you’re heading outside, Boyer suggests you take precautions: Wear long pants, tuck your pants into your socks and use bug spray with DEET.”One of the biggest things you can do if you’re out on a trail is stay in the center of the trail. Make sure you’re not in the vegetation along the edges because that’s where they’re going to be hanging out mostly,” he said.”When we get a call, ‘I just found a tick on my child or myself,’ usually our first question is, ‘What did the tick look like? ‘” pediatrician Dr. Joan Thode said.If the tick is still small and on the surface of the skin, that’s good news.If not, use tweezers.”There’s going to be a little head and a body. If you can grab it straight up and down at the junction part of the head and the body and pull straight up, usually that’s the most effective way of taking them off,” Thode said.Types of ticks and their habitatBlacklegged tick adults: Active in the fall, winter, and early spring; can be found in low lying vegetation lining paths, or low understory vegetation.Nymphal Blacklegged ticks: Found in April through August in leaf litter.American Dog ticks: Found predominately in tall grasses, meadows, etc. and more open spaces from April-July.Asian Longhorned ticks: Found in low-lying vegetation lining paths, or low understory vegetation; adults are active from May-August and the nymphs are present April through August.Gulf Coast ticks: Found in drier environments ranging anywhere from shaded woods to sunny meadows; collected in July and August, but peak activity depends on geographic location.PrecautionsRecommended precautions for anyone venturing outdoors:Apply tick repellents containing permethrin to clothing and EPA-registered insect repellents such as DEET to exposed skin before entering the outdoors. Reapply as needed according to product label instructions.Wear light-colored outer clothing and tuck shirts into pants, and pants into socks.Walk in the centers of trails and avoid wooded and brushy areas with low-growing vegetation and tall grasses that may harbor ticks.After returning home, remove all clothing, take a shower, and place clothing into the dryer on high heat to kill any lingering ticks. Examine gear such as backpacks for ticks.Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand or full-length mirror, including hidden areas such as the scalp, ears, armpits, waistband, between the legs, and behind the knees.Check over any pets exposed to likely tick habitats each time they return indoors.Tick removalUse fine tipped tweezers or a tick key for removal. It’s important to remove a tick as soon as possible, as the longer a tick is attached increases the likelihood of contracting a tickborne disease.Grasp the tick at its head or as close to the skin surface as possible.Pull upward with steady and even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick.After thoroughly removing the tick, clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.Monitor for symptoms and contact your doctor with any questions.Symptoms of tickborne illnessThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the most common symptoms of tick-related illnesses include:Fever/chills. All tick-borne diseases can cause fever.Aches and pains. Tickborne diseases can cause headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease may also have joint pain.Rash. Lyme disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, and tularemia can cause distinctive rashes.