Safety with Ticks

Tick exposure can happen year-round, but ticks are most active during warmer months. Tonight, on House Call, a medical professional from UHC explains how to keep your children safe this summer while enjoying the great outdoors.

1) How can you prevent your child from getting a tick when they go outdoors?

You should:

• Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas or even on animals. Spending time outside could bring you into close contact with ticks. Many people get ticks in their yards or neighborhoods.
• Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin can treat boots, clothing, and camping gear, as it can remain protective through several washings. Alternatively, you can buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
• Use EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. Always follow product instructions. Do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under 3 years old.
• Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. A great suggestion to help keep you safe is to walk in the center of trails.

2) What can you do to further protect your children when they return home from their great outdoor adventure?

Check their clothing for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed. If the clothes require washing first, hot water is recommended. Cold and medium-temperature water will not kill ticks.

Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and daypacks.

Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and may effectively reduce the risk of other tickborne diseases. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks, which is an excellent opportunity to do a tick check.

Check these parts of your body and your child’s body for ticks:

• Under the arms
• In and around the ears
• Inside the belly button
• Back of the knees
• In and around the hair
• Between the legs
• Around the waist

3) If you happen to find a tick on your child, what should you do?

You will want to use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth parts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by

• Putting it in alcohol,
• Placing it in a sealed bag/container,
• Wrapping it tightly in tape or
• Flushing it down the toilet.

If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor:

• Tell the doctor about your recent tick bite,
• When the bite occurred and
• Where did you most likely acquire the tick?

This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.

Please note, the information provided throughout this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and video, on or available through this website is for general information purposes only. If you are experiencing related symptoms, please visit your doctor or call 9-1-1 in an emergency.