Tick season starts in the southern United States in April when warm weather begins and continues on through the summer and into early fall. Tick exposure is usually experienced when a person is in a wooded area, but not always. I have found a tick on myself after being in my back yard cutting grass and cleaning up, etc. So, the first step in preventing tick borne illness is to do a thorough check of yourself and your children when either has been outside. The risk of acquiring an infection from a tick is actually quite low even if the tick has attached and fed and is actually carrying an infectious agent. Generally, a tick must have been attached for a least 36 hours before feeding begins. Here are CDC recommended daily checks. Check yourself and your children.
1. Under the arms
2. In and around the ears
3. Inside belly button
4. In and around the hair, scalp, etc.
5. Between the legs
6. Around the waist
7. Back of the knees
8. Shower or bathe soon after being outdoors
9. Check clothing that you wore outdoors for ticks
10. Check your pets, as they may bring a tick inside the home.
Prevention of acquiring a tick:
• Repellents such as DEET and Permethrin
• Wear pants with long legs and tuck end of pant legs in socks.
Here is the recommended way to remove a tick from yourself or your children:
• Use a fine set of tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Do not use a match or cigarette, nail polish, Vaseline, liquid soap, etc. These will irritate the tick and possibly cause it to inject its bodily fluids into the skin.
• Pull backwards firmly but gently, using an even steady pressure. Do not jerk or twist.
• Do not squeeze or puncture the body of the tick.
• If any mouth parts remain in the skin, leave them alone. They will come off eventually.
In this area, the most common tick is the Lone Star Tick which is associated with Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness. The Lone Star Tick is a brown to blond tick with a white spot on its back. The illnesses caused by a bite of this tick is usually associated with an expanding red bulls-eye rash.
Additionally, dog ticks which are brown with a white collar and about the size of a pencil eraser can carry another tick borne infection called Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. There have actually been some cases of this disease in the Auburn-Opelika area. The Southern Tick Associated Rash illness is much more common.
So, if you or your child has been bitten by a tick, the odds are still low that you will develop a tick borne illness. However, if you are uncertain about anything associated with the bite, it is recommended that you seek a medical evaluation, especially if you develop a fever, rash, malaise, headache or otherwise ill-defined symptoms.
A CDC link for further reading is: http://cdc.gov/Features/StopTicks/
Note well: If you or your children have traveled to parts of the country, especially North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and the Northeast United States and have been bitten by a tick there, or one discovered on your person after returning, you may be at risk for Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Please check with your doctor and tell him/her of your travel destinations.
