In the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, weekly emergency room visits in April for tick bites were the highest they had been since 2017.
This is concerning because ticks can carry diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and a new red meat allergy called “Alpha-gal syndrome.
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If you are ever bitten by a tick, a new free resource could make a difference.
The University of Rhode Island has a website that explains ways to reduce your exposure to ticks, but also what you should do if you’re bitten by a tick: like how to remove a tick safely, how to take the best photo of your tick for your doctor and how to submit your tick photo to the TickSpotters program.
Dr. Steven Goodfriend, an emergency medicine physician at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital, broke down some things to watch out for and what you should never do.
“Symptoms of tickborne illnesses can be muscle aches, fevers, headaches, something out of the ordinary. Rash. You definitely want to contact your clinician or possibly even come into their emergency room,” Goodfriend said. “The main thing that I’ve seen is, if you look online, you can try to burn them off. That is definitely what you do not want to do. I have seen burn related injuries from trying to burn off a tick. I am not sure how you would do that without burning yourself.”
Goodfriend said ticks can be easy to miss, so check everywhere.
“What is really important is to check the hair. Especially if it is thick hair and that it can be disguised in there. Really check in the hair, rub your hands through there,” Goodfriend said. “After this happens, you want to try to take a shower to minimize that risk. Hair, by the ears, armpits, groin. It is very common for them to be there.”
A few things to remember:
- Ticks like the shade of taller, grasses and cooler, damper areas around the yard.
- You can keep ticks out by creating an obstacle like a 3-foot barrier of wood chips or bark around your yard.
- Try not to use shredded mulch because that creates the cool, damp effect that ticks like.
- Keep your grass cut short at about 3 inches
- Blow and rake away any leaves. Ticks like to live and leaf piles.
- Consider using an insect repellent that has 25% to 30% deet.
- Also check pets for ticks